


Fate/New Game+

by CleverPervertedPriest



Category: BlazBlue, Dishonored (Video Games), Fate/stay night - All Media Types, Final Fantasy XIII, God of War (Video Games), Multi-Fandom, Neverwinter Nights 2, Warhammer 40.000
Genre: Servant Replacement
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:21:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 125,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24002776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CleverPervertedPriest/pseuds/CleverPervertedPriest
Summary: Sequel to Fate Level Zero. Ten years have passed since the Fourth Grail War. Ancient powers stir once more as Masters are sought out and Servants summoned. And yet, the Chaos of the past War resurfaces as the Servants that were given were not quite as expected. Except Saber of course... and Archer. (Crosspost from ff.net)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 9





	1. Insanity Begins

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

Darkness. Total darkness. A great emptiness. Then, a pinprick of light. It grew larger and larger until it became big enough for a single story building. Then, it stepped through. A tall and masterfully crafted suit of armor stepped through the glowing pink and red portal. It was a deep dark blue color with some sort of long skirting with the same color. It had a horned, laughing skull on the utility belt. It had a golden two-headed eagle on the left pauldron and a green hydra on the right pauldron. Two metal draconic heads with glowing red mouths decorating the backpack, one on each side. An ornate helm, with red glowing eyes and squarish horns topped it off. In his right hand he held a metal staff with two blades rising from the top.

"I wish an audience, Angra Mainyu."

At that very instant, the world became a deep, dark blue.

"What does your Master want now... Sindri Myr?" asked All The World's Evils, taking the form of a humanoid shadow.

The sorcerer could only chuckle darkly and say, "My Lord wishes to... 'donate'... another soul to your little game." He then held up his free hand, revealing a small, blood red crystal oval in shape in the palm.

"Is that so... why does your Master want to 'donate' this to me?" questioned the shadow, "While the previous bargain was acceptable, what does he have to offer in return this time."

"In fact, it is not just my Lord this time. Another Lord, a Prince wishes to participate in this wonderful event," the sorcerer explained, "This particular soul, the Prince wishes to put it through a trial, to see if this soul is worthy of becoming one with him. If, say, this soul doesn't succeed, you may keep it. If it does, enough power shall be given to you in return for your efforts. Much like the last time."

The shadow remained silent, as if thinking. Then, it moved towards him and plucked the precious stone out of the palm of his gauntlet. "Please, relay to your Prince my grateful thanks," Angra Mainyu told him, "I will put this to good use."

"Assuredly so," Sindri agreed. As he turned to face the portal, he said further, "If I may, I would suggest you place that soul under Lancer. My former Class may also apply but... we should not make things too easy for it."

"I shall take that into consideration, Sindri Myr."

"Very well. I wish you well in your War, so to say," the sorcerer wished, getting the last word as he stepped through the portal. As the portal closed, knowing that his voice won't be traveling through it anytime soon, he said, "Not that it matters. In the end, the Architect's plans succeed in the end." One could hear him smiling under that helm.

* * *

Snow crinkled and cracked underfoot. Little feet ran through the snow laden forest, the howl of wolves filling the air behind her. In her arms, she clutched a slab of rock half the size of her body. Heavy was her breath and could be seen in the frosty air. Illyasviel von Einzbern did not care for that. Her white dress was in tatters but she paid no heed to that either. What she felt now was anger; angry that she was tossed out in the woods to summon her Servant, angry that the wolves had decided to disrupt her summoning, angry at herself that she wasn't fast enough to complete the summoning. All she could do now was run and hope the wolves give up the chase, then she could start again. But, she could feel herself slowing down, her legs straining to listen to her mind, her arms aching at carrying the slab of rock with her. With this much on her mind, she somehow missed an overgrown root and she tripped over; the slab was dropped and she tumbled over in the snow. Turning around on the snow, she could see the chasing wolves slowing down and moving to surround her. Scrambling to grab the slab, she backed herself against the tree, holding it in front of her like a makeshift shield.

" _No! I cannot die now! I have to finish the summoning!_ " she screamed in her mind as the wolves circled around her. Attempting to calm herself and do what must be done in spite of the wolves circling her, she chanted, "Let it be declared now; your flesh shall serve under me and my fate shall be with your sword. Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail. Answer if you will submit to this truth and this will. An oath shall be sworn here. I shall attain all the virtues in Heaven..."

Her chant suddenly interrupted as one of the wolves suddenly leaped at her; she pushed against it with the slab. Her arms, already tired, strained and screamed as they pushed and held the wolf back, all the while she continued chanting, "... I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell. Yet you shall serve with your eyes clouded by chaos. For you would be one caged in madness. I shall wield your chains."

The strain on her arms suddenly relaxed, the wolf retreating for no apparent reason. Surprised, she could not react in time; the slab fell down, the piece of rock it was. She didn't dare to grab it again, for surely the wolves would lunge at her. She could only complete the chant and hope that Berserker would be summoned in time.

"From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of restraint, protector of the Holy Balance."

Nothing happened.

She blinked. Did she forget something? Was there a word out of place? She didn't know. All she knew was that her Servant did not come forth. Faced with the wolves, instead of feeling afraid, she was angry.

" _After all that, I failed? Damn these wolves!_ " she raged as she glared at the predators, as if challenging them to come, " _If they want to feast, then let them. I hope to choke them with my bones_." All that preparation was for nothing. She wouldn't get to participate in the war. She wouldn't be able to win. Worst of all, she wouldn't get to meet the boy that took her father away from her. She wouldn't be able to get revenge.

One of the wolves then took a running leap at her. She stared angrily at it; at its drooling and gaping maw, at its sharp teeth, at its hungry eyes. Then...

Blood.

A jagged blade, buried into the side of the leaping wolf. The markings that she could see burned orange. The blade was connected to a long chain. It was tugged. The chain, blade, and wolf flew back to its owner, who roared in rage. All anger left her and she was amazed at his strength; the blade returned to his hand and the wolf's head landed in the other. With one swift motion, he tore the blade out of it, nearly separating the body into two. The wolves seem to be drawn to the newcomer, all of them moving to surround him. With a growl, the man reached to his back and pulled the blade's twin. Both parties stared at each other; the man turning around as if taking stock of how many wolves there were, the pack instinctively formed a circle around him to ensure their prey does not escape. Then, both sides attacked.

Raising his arms to his chest, the man threw out his blades to the sides, impaling two leaping ones on each side. Tugging the chains, he swung his arms up; the blades followed direction, the bodies of the dead animals getting thrown off like rag dolls into their brethren. Then, he lowered himself down, swinging his arms back; the blades, floating limply in the air seconds earlier, flew down and arced with deadly accuracy into the jaws of another pair of wolves. His body was readied like a spring, his legs pushing against the ground as he went airborne; the blades were ripped out of the meat and bone with such force that it drew even more blood out of the deceased. He landed, pulling the chains with all his might; they seemed to be ablaze with orange flames as they impacted the final victim, the metal cutting through the body like a hot knife, crushing bone like it was paper.

The remaining wolves ran away with their tails between their legs, their instinct finally overriding their hunger. Her anger had all but washed away at that display of power. She actually did it. She actually summoned a Servant of the Berserker class. Though granted he didn't seem to match the description of Hercules but no matter. His power, his prowess, and those chained blades would definitely make up for that.

He then stepped up to her, his rage seemingly abated, and knelt before her. She smiled gratefully at him.

"You look weak," he told her upfront. She would have started shouting at him had he not continued, "Yet as I came forth, I saw a little girl staring defiantly at a vicious looking wolf. To stare so defiantly at death in the face tells me otherwise. For now... you are my Master."

* * *

He was impeccably dressed in white. Jubstacheit von Einzbern awaited patiently for Illyasviel to return; the castle gates would remain open until night. If she should not return, then... he would have to make another. She sees him as her grandfather. In context, he would agree as he was the one who made Irisviel, his greatest achievement to date. He poured much of his time training and grooming her to be the Einzbern's next representative for the next War; an equal amount of effort was taken to secretly procure materials from the Greater Grail itself to try and summon a Servant. He greatly hoped that it was worth doing so. It would be quite a shame for all this to fail.

Two specks in the distance interested him greatly. As they came nearer, he frowned. Yes, the young homunculus was able to summon a Servant, that much seemed true. Yet, he was somewhat disappointed in the Servant that was called forth. A bald muscular man with a black goatee clad in a loincloth held up by a bronze belt. A few pieces of golden armor adorned his right shoulder and lower arm. The left side of his body had a red tattoo snaking around it. A pair of handles seem to be coming from his back, probably his weapons. A mix of leather, metal, and chains seem to make up his arm and wrist guards. The oddest thing was the Servant's skin; it was as pale as the full moon at night. Nowhere in the legends and myths described Hercules like this. She most likely made some mistake and called forth the wrong Servant.

"I have returned, grandfather," she said, holding on to the slab of rock close to her side.

He took a few seconds to look over the Servant and the homunculus. The Servant didn't seem to care but she seemed to be nervously calm. He then cleared his throat and said, "I feel a little disappointed. To think after all that was provided to you, you still summoned the wrong Servant. I doubt he could even compare to Hercules him..."

"Berserker! Lay down your arms!" she suddenly shouted.

A magus walks with death. But never had he been so close to death as he was now. He could barely feel the jagged edge of Berserker's blade on the side of his neck, a hair's breadth away.

"I owe much to my grandfather. It is thanks to him I am able to call you out, Berserker," she addressed the enraged Servant calmly, "So, if you would please let him off, just this once."

The man growled but withdrew his blade, but he did give Acht this warning, "Say that name again and there will be nothing left to bury you with."

Annoyingly, the homunculus quipped, "I am fine with that."

The old magus harrumphed and explained calmly as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened, "I am merely concerned. I have never heard of a Berserker such as yourself, thus I question whether you are powerful enough to aid her in winning the Grail for us."

The Servant glared at him; he did not flinch, he only stared back, fully expecting an answer.

"I will only tell you this," the Servant finally said. Acht waited patiently for it. Yet, what he got, he did not expect. "Lack of belief did not end the... Age of the Gods," the Servant spat out in contempt, the last few words he uttered more harshly than the others.

"...I did."


	2. Unexpected Start

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

She waited patiently at the top of the stone steps. Her companion, a man, was busy bringing up their luggage... his luggage. Instead of the expensive hotel he had booked, upon her plans, they moved to the out of the way mountain temple. They booked a room and had everything sent there. When everything had been settled in, the monks that attended to them bid good night and left. They were all alone in the room.

"You are a most troublesome Master," the woman said as she slowly sauntered up to him. The man's face was impassive, but his eyes told a different story; angry but also fearful. "Still, the items you have brought along for this War is quite impressive. I look forward to making use of it myself. Sad that you would not be around to see it," she told him before she started chanting while aiming a hand at him. The man's eyes widened in fright; he did not recognize the language she was using, but he somehow knew he did not want to be around when it happened. As she uttered the final word, the man promptly burst into flames.

She sighed in annoyance. As much as she didn't really want to do this, that man got under her skin a bit too much. Do this. Do that. The nerve of him. Sure he wanted the other Servants to eliminate each other, but he didn't have to treat her as a literal servant! Why couldn't he bring his own servants instead of using her? Then again, what else could she expect from him? He had most of his time buried in his books like one of those stupid wizards at the Academy. Well, at least now, she didn't have to hear that grating voice. Good riddance to him. But now, she had a problem of keeping herself here. Using those magical items can only go so far...

A knock on the door brought her out of her train of thought and she remained silent. The door then slid open, revealing a bespectacled man in blue robes those monks wore. But this man had a full mop of hair on his head. But, she then remembered the dying embers of her former Master and silently prepared a Fireball spell. If she had to do something about this, then might as well go in a blaze of glory. She was quite surprised when the man took one look at the smoldering embers and asked, "Do you wish to move to another room, miss? At least until I clean the room."

This brought a smile to her face. It intrigued her, this man and his behavior. He must have had experience in such matters if he did not flinch at the sight of a dying body. This man could be of help to her. "But of course," she replied gracefully, "How thoughtful of you to notice. If you do not mind, may I have your name?"

"Kuzuki Souichirou."

"Well, it is nice to meet you," she said with a smile, "You can just refer to me as... Caster."

* * *

She did not want to go to Japan. She had heard much of the Japanese there from her family, most of them bad. However, when the Edelfelt's were invited to participate once more in the Holy Grail War, they couldn't say no despite their dislike for the country itself. And so Luviagelita Edelfelt found herself being sent there a year early under the guise of an exchange student. She had no problems blending with the society there. Housing was not a problem, having already arranged to have a rather large estate to herself, as well as a few trusted members of staff from her home. Pretty much the only stumbling block came in the form of Rin Tohsaka. At first disliking her just because she was a Tohsaka, Luvia started finding in her a kindred spirit and she did come to enjoy the private spats she had with her as well as the constant one-upping on each other in public. With her popularity starting to compare to Rin's, Luvia had no doubt she had become her rival in those terms. Which is why she took great pleasure in summoning her Servant earlier than she did. At least she was quite sure she did it earlier than Rin.

As the smoke of the summoning dissipated, her expectations were thrown out the window. As someone expecting one of the knight classes of the Servants, she did not expect someone wearing of all things, a formal all black suit. He had straight, layered, shoulder length hair and a short beard. Black gloves and black boots complete his attire. Very visible around his neck was an intricately made pendant; it looked quite beautifully crafted. He gave himself a look over. "Hmm, it's gonna be like this? I guess it'll do... though I wish I had more of my abilities," he was heard muttering. Then he noticed her.

The new Servant seemed to look at her with a careful eye. "Well, I don't like the fact that I need to fight in a war," he finally said after a moment of silence, "But since I was brought here anyway, might as well make the best of it. I am Rider for this war. You must be my Master."

With as much poise and confidence she could muster for this unprecedented Servant, she answered, "Yes, that I am."

A moment of silence went by before she stifled a yawn and said, "I think this has gone on long enough. We will formulate plans later. I need to sleep for school tomorrow."

"Heh, then by your leave, I'll go exploring for a bit," Rider informed her with a slight smile.

"Fine, fine," she said as she waved him off, already on her way to her bedroom. In the morning, she had to notify the mediator... and the rest of the day gloating in front of Tohsaka.

* * *

Bazett Fraga McRemitz took a few steps back as the smoke billowed about.

"Surely you aren't afraid of a bit of smoke, Bazett," chided Kirei as he kept his concentration on the magic circle on the ground.

"It just took me aback, that's all," she retorted, lightly glaring at him, "You never said anything about the summoning having this much smoke."

"I barely had any," he calmly stated.

"Hmph," she sounded out as she stepped back next to him. Secretly, she was quite excited. She was taking part in the Fifth Holy Grail War and she was now summoning her hero, the great Cú Chulainn. She could hardly contain herself. Yet, as the Servant was revealed, she could only stare in shock.

The Servant was encased in full body armor. Well, that's what the upper body looked like. Below that was a long closed skirt. Four ridged spires seem to come from the back, two going vertical and two horizontal, as well as a full body cloak. The helm was elongated and was as tall as the horizontal spires. And by far the most fascinating aspect was that littered on places on the armor and on the skirt were runes. At least, they looked like runes. But, they were nothing like she had seen before. They glowed a ghost-like blue color and she could sense a barely restrained power radiating from them.

Yet, as magnificent as the Servant was, she did not intend to summon him... or her. She summoned the Hound of Ulster, damn it! "Wait a minute! I thought I summoned Cú Chulainn!" she cried out in protest.

"It would seem it has happened again," the priest muttered. As if she couldn't hear him.

"Just what are you talking about, Kirei?" she asked, still staring in disbelief at the Servant.

"A few oddities were summoned as Servants in the previous War," he explained, "It makes one wonder why."

"Right..." Then, addressing the Servant in front of her, she asked, "Who are you?"

The Servant spoke in a semi-melodious voice, "Lancer." It sounded feminine. And then, she faded out, shifting to spirit form.

"You may not have gotten the hero you wanted, but you still gained a Lancer," the priest stated impassively, "I shall make note of this."

Bazett groaned and cursed under her voice. True, she did not get Cú Chulainn, but she seemed to have gotten a strong Servant. Although, only time will tell if this was worth it.

* * *

Sakura watched as the smoke coalesced within the magic circle, her stepbrother monitoring her progress behind her. Her days with the family were bearable; Byakuya was no Kariya oji-san, but he did not treat her any worse than Zouken. She was eternally grateful when the old man suddenly disappeared. But then, neither did she shed any tears for Byakuya when he passed on, since he was just... there. Shinji was a different thing entirely. Just because his father had declared her the heir on the day he died, he started to show his resentment for a while, but she quickly put him in place. He would not be laying his hands on her anymore, not after using her newly trained powers.

That was another thing. She was entirely grateful to the strange shadow being that came to her in her dreams. It taught her much; how to mold and shape the shadows like a plaything, like a piece of clay. At first, she did not want to learn. While she was from a line of superior magi, knowing that most of her childhood was stripped away from her just because of what she was, it was safe to say that she did not like magecraft. Yet the being was adamant in honing her talent, at least just for self-defense. Needless to say, it did pay off after all. After Shinji, she was diligent in learning, if only to show her gratitude to the shadowy being. Yesterday was to be a final session before the war.

* * *

"You have improved greatly, young one," _the shadow said to her._

"Thank you, master," _she replied gratefully. They trained in a plain looking world, white sky and black ground. The darkness cast on the ground was endless and very good for the manipulation of shadows that she learned from it._

"I have heard that you have been chosen."

_It sounded like a query more than a statement._ "Yes, I have. I do have a wish..." she started.

"It is no matter. You do not have to tell me what it is," _the being said as it held up a hand for a moment_ , "I only wish to tell you that... this War will be your proving ground. This will be the time to see if my training has borne fruit. So today shall be our final session before it begins. If you are successful, this means that I have no more to teach you."

"I... I will not let you down," _she vowed before him. She did not feel sure if there would be a chance for her to showcase what she could do, but when it comes to that point, she will give it all she has._

"That is all I need."

* * *

What stepped out of the smoke, she could never have guessed. The Servant she summoned had worn something fairly reminiscent of an officer's uniform a few centuries ago. He was probably a captain of some ship, though there did not seem to be any medals or any insignias on his shoulders that signified rank. He had messy dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a short shaven beard.

"I am Assassin. Which of you is my Master?" the Servant asked as he brought his left arm across his chest, like a salute of some sort. Sakura noticed a rather peculiar tattoo on his hand; it looked like an eye to her.

"I am your Master, Assassin," she spoke up. Assassin nodded towards her, to show his understanding.

"You do not look like an Assassin," Shinji suddenly spoke up rather haughtily, "Where is your mask?"

"My mask is for my enemies and by extension, my Master's enemies," the Servant answered rather stoically, "If you wish to see it... well, it shall be the last thing you see..." He left his sentence hanging; the Servant didn't sound like he liked being questioned that way.

The boy harrumphed rather shakily and said hesitantly, "Well... I... I'll leave this to you, Sakura." He turned and walked to the exit, but she did notice his shaky steps as he walked upstairs.

She turned back to her Servant and said, "Please, try to take what he says to heart. My stepbrother does mean well, even though he has a bad way of showing it."

"By your orders then, Master," Assassin told her as he stood there, a flicker of emotion passing through before settling into his stoic mask once again.

Sakura then took a deep breath and said, "Alright. You may go ahead and scout around. I still have one more thing to do before turning in."

* * *

The gramophone crackled and hummed a bit before once again falling silent. Truthfully, Sakura hadn't the faintest idea on how it worked, only that it was tuned to another, sister gramophone via magecraft. She assumed her... 'father'... had something to do with it. She was quite surprised when the local priest had stopped by unannounced and offered it to her. At first she had refused, but when it was told to her that he was her sister's guardian and that it was for her as a form of communication, did she accept in the end. Now it lay on a side table on one side of her Kariya-ojisan's room... well... now it was her room. At the very least, it doesn't run on electricity, so it does not factor into the monthly bill. Not that it mattered anyway. She doesn't eat at home, and since he doesn't like cooking, Shinji dines out every night. She preferred to dine with Fujimura-sensei and... her Senpai. The only times she ever felt complete.

" _Sakura_?" asked a voice all of a sudden. A familiar voice.

"Hello, Rin," she greeted a little tiredly, "I just finished my summoning. How was yours?"

" _Hn... there was a bit of trouble... I was successful but I... now have a hole in my roof... stupid Servant_..."

She held back a giggle, feeling that her sister went through enough for one night. "I guess this means you can get over what Edelfelt said to you?" she asked in return.

"... _I wish you didn't bring that up_..." her sister grumbled over the 'phone'. And then she came back with a vengeance with, " _And what about you? Why are you still going over to that Emiya boy's house? Didn't he recover from his injuries_?"

"Wh... Rin...!" she stuttered, embarrassment sending her cheeks red as she molded her face into a pout, "... that's mean..." She could hear a bit of muffled chuckling on the other end.

" _By the way, you didn't mention what Servant you got_."

"... Assassin. Why?" she asked curiously, the red face now fading away.

Her sister sighed and said, " _I got an Archer... I was hoping for a Saber but I suppose I have to work with what I am given. Strategy-wise, I could always ask you to spy on the other Masters and then have Archer attack at the most opportune time..._ "

Now it was Sakura's turn to sigh; Rin always got serious like this when magecraft was concerned, though she would be highly aggravated if Edelfelt was involved.

"Rin, we could always talk about these things later," she began to reason with her, "We have school tomorrow. And I was hoping..."

" _Yes, yes, I know. I will let that idiot priest know about you too_ ," the other girl said, sounding a bit dismissive, " _It will be the first thing I do before I go to school. You, on the other hand, will be going to see that boy of yours before school_."

"B- wha- Rin...!" the violet haired girl groaned out after a stutter, "He is not my boy..." After a moment, she whispered out with a blush, "Yet..."

". _...Good night, Sakura..._ " She could almost picture a smirk on her sister's face when she heard that.

"Good night, Rin."

* * *

Rin smirked in amusement as the connection closed. Truthfully, she needed that; ten years working hard at her craft as well as elective lessons from her guardian, she was sure she would be able to summon a Saber class Servant. Alas, it was not to be. Still, when she heard Sakura had gotten an Assassin, she could not help but to think of what the priest told her. That her father used the Assassin he summoned to spy on the other Masters. She could take it one step further as to get Assassin to reveal the locations of the other Masters and Servants, and then have Archer take them out from afar. No doubt they would be able to win the War in record time if all goes according to plan.

"It seems that I was summoned by a farsighted Master," said Archer behind her, apparently having stopped his cleaning duty to eavesdrop on her, "To think there was already an alliance in place before the War even began." But then, he also said, "I do not know if I trust her just yet. This may all be a ploy to stab you in the back, Master, seeing that she summoned Assassin."

Her face twitched; with her back to him, she couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or genuine. All the same, she didn't like what he was going with this.

"She and I have been... friends since we were children," she began as she disabled the gramophone, "We are as close as sisters." Having done so, she turned to face him, looking a bit stern, "Yes, she is a magus. Yes, she is also a Master. I also know for a fact that, yes, she will do what it takes to win. That, I have no doubt of. What I do not like is that you think she will not honor her promise to me." She took a few steps and folded her arms in front of her, stating her facts resolutely, "The both of us will work together until we are the only ones left. Then, it will be down to a battle between Servants. This, I am sure I will win, for I am sure that the Assassin class cannot compare to the Archer class."

She took in another breath before finishing, "Thus, I will win the War, bringing more recognition to the Tohsaka name and you will get your wish."

"My, what a terrifying Master I have," the Servant admitted as he closed his eyes, nodding in understanding.

"Well, now that we understand each other," she said as she turned her back in the white haired Servant, "Please continue working downstairs. I want to see it cleaned up by the time I wake up."

"A terrifying Master, indeed."

* * *

Noel sighed in relief as she wheeled her bicycle away from the kōban. A good walk around the neighborhood was sorely needed after being cooped up in there for most of the evening. While she walked, she looked back at the reports she had just read through, feeling quite disturbed by the strange deaths happening around Miyama the past week. Other than a few that seemed to have mysteriously ingested acid, almost all the bodies were burnt beyond recognition. Autopsies confirmed it. The higher ups seemed to be quite upset that a 'vigilante' was going around killing what they consider 'excitable people'. While there were a few snatch thieves and robbers among that number, many of them were part of the local yakuza and many were worried that this might end up like a witch hunt if the Fujimura group became too riled up. Meaning they might take matters into their own hands and potentially harm the public.

And then there was the issue of the familiar feeling of other Servant's going around. Funnily enough, she started sensing them when the bodies started turning up. She had a feeling that the two were linked in some way.

" _Either one of the Masters is ordering their Servant to consume their souls or its the Servant's own doing_ ," she mused as she wheeled her bike along, " _If anything, I have to try and put a stop to this. Maybe if I can find the Master of that Servant, then_..." She stopped in her tracks, that familiar feeling suddenly popping up again. It seemed to be... heading towards her. She felt tense, but tried to calm herself down. If anything, she had to look unassuming. Then, she continued on her way. She almost stopped and stared when a young, white haired girl dressed in purple walked past her. But her nerves held on and she went on her way.

" _That was close. I really don't want to go looking for fights_ ," she thought to herself, " _Still, that girl looked awfully familiar_..."

It was then she encountered him. Emiya Shirou, adopted son of Emiya Kiritsugu. From what she could overhear from passing students during her morning patrols, this person goes out of his way to help out, to the extent of also being known as the 'fake janitor' of the school. Also, she had also suspected that Saber's former Master had been teaching the boy magecraft, though she was grateful that they had kept that part of their lives well hidden.

"Emiya? What are you doing out so late?" she called out as she noticed the young man with short, messy red hair. She leaned the bike against the wall before stepping up to him.

"Eh, Officer Mackenzie?" the young man blurted out in surprise, "I was on my way back when... well, did you see the little girl passing by earlier?"

Noel raised a brow. " _Did that girl say something to him_?" she did wonder. But then again, while she did suspect that girl was a Master, it was probably for Emiya's sake that she did not drag him into this. He would probably try his best to worm his way into her investigation to 'help out'. "A little girl, Emiya?" she repeated, sounding a little concerned, before starting to tease him, "Why, I would have thought you liked girls your age."

"Wh- what?! No, I did not mean it that way!" he vehemently protested, "I just... ah, never mind. I have to get back home. I'm sort of late as it is." With that, he quickly made a hasty retreat.

She sighed as she took off her bowler hat and ran her hand through her hair. " _It is not a mistake_ ," she contemplated as she replaced her hat, " _The less people involved in this, the better. If anything, I have to find out who is participating and try to convince them there is something wrong with the War. I should probably make contact with the mediator_..." She took in a worried breath and exhaled, retrieving her bike, " _Then again, if that man survived... I think some surveillance is in order before I make my next move_."


	3. The Fateful Day

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

Caster patiently waited for the man to serve the breakfast. While she did not need to eat, after having had her fill last night, she did appreciate being waited upon. It reminded her of her youth, before being sent to that dreadful Academy of books and studying and other horrible things. While the food here is not at rich or marvelously decorated, it was enough.

"Will that be all, Caster?" Souichirou intoned politely.

She nodded and he left the room. That helpful man, she had already explained to him briefly on what being her 'Master' entailed. Suffice to say, he did not make a fuss and accepted as it is. What else was there to say? It is rare to find good help such as this, though she did not like the place where she was summoned. At this time of the year, supposedly, it was horribly cold and while her clothes gave her some form of protection, it sometimes was not enough. Thank goodness for the hot water and warm blankets she always came back to after her nightly escapades.

She paused to look out, watching the fading morning mist as it danced amongst the trees. In a strange sort of way, it reminded of her... adventures she had with the Knight-Captain. A sort of good man he was. As far as she knew, the only one who accepted her as she was. The only one that 'asked' her to do something, instead of 'order' her to do it. Very different from her first Master. In the end, she was quite sad that he wanted both her and Sand on his side. Perhaps... perhaps, her arguments with that stupid elf were too petty. She should have sided with him regardless of her differences with the wizard instead of siding with the enemy out of spite against that same wizard. Then again, she was still quite sure that she was correct and the wizard was wrong.

Oh well, there would be time for remembering later. For now, she had to conserve her energy, since she will have to go hunting for criminals tonight. If only there were more brigands or pirates roaming around, then she would have no shortage of supply to draw from.

A knock on the door and the man entered again. He was wearing something different now, looking quite presentable. "I shall be leaving for work now," he told her, "If you wish for anything, you can request it from the monks." With that, he left.

She doubted she would need anything now. All she had to do now was rest and keep warm.

* * *

The limousine stopped a few meters away from the gate. Luvia stayed seated for a moment, not wanting to exit the vehicle just yet. It has been a few days since she got Rider and showed her superiority to Rin. That Tohsaka hid it well, but she could tell the Japanese girl was seething at her whispered proclamation. After all, the War was to be kept secret. And now, she was also certain that Rin had summoned her own Servant in reply. Perhaps it was time for them to compare which was more powerful. Another competition. The thought of it made her feel impatient for evening.

"Rider, would you do the honors of inviting Tohsaka to our little meeting?" she asked.

"Sure," the Servant replied, coming out of spirit form while seating himself opposite her, "But, are you sure about this? I mean, this whole thing hasn't even started yet."

"But of course, Rider," she assured him, "Think of it as a spar of sorts... as well as information gathering. Why should we not get to know our enemies?"

"I guess that's all right," he conceded, "Well, you know how to get me." He went back to spirit form.

She nodded and then finally exited the vehicle. At that moment, who else would pass by her but Shirou Emiya. She halted and watched him walk side by side with Sakura Matou. They didn't really notice her getting out, as she was sitting on the other side, but she was sure they knew who was in here. Who else would come to school in a limousine? She waited a moment, waiting for them to go past the gates into school. Truthfully, she wondered why she was acting like this. True, she... liked him. He was a simple man, and good man too, always willing to help others in need of it. She never did have time to get to know him better, as she was always trying to one up Tohsaka. Plus, that Matou girl had already gotten a leg up on her by visiting him the past year while he was injured. She could have kicked herself for letting that chance slip by. But now seemed like the perfect chance. She waited until the Matou left him alone before greeting him.

"Oh, good morning, Edelfelt," he returned the greeting, looking slightly surprised, "I didn't expect you to be at school so early."

"O ho ho, why wouldn't I be early?" she said rather happily, in that he actually recognized her, being that he always seemed busy helping the student council repair things, "It doesn't matter that I am not with any clubs, but that I am here earlier than Rin Tohsaka. I must at least show I am better than that unbearable girl."

"Um... that's fine if you do that. It's quite up to you," he said slowly, seemingly a bit startled by her sudden chattiness, "But, maybe you shouldn't take it too far. Being competitive is good an all, but you really shouldn't say bad things about people behind their back."

"Ah... maybe you're right," she said with a tint of red on her cheeks, feeling a little flustered and somewhat embarrassed. Why did she suddenly say that? She could have kicked herself right there. Yet what a gentleman he is. Instead of talking down on her, he politely corrected her. It was certainly worth it to talk to him, if only for a moment. "Well, I'm sure you have other things to do than to talk to me. I'll leave you to that. Goodbye, Shirou," she quickly said before hurrying past him towards the school building, missing his reply that echoed her goodbye.

* * *

Bazett was feeling quite restless and annoyed. That Servant of hers seemed to have closed herself off in one of the rooms in this abandoned manor. She knew she was still there, but she didn't know what that Servant was doing. There only so many times she could scout around the city, while enduring curious looks from the locals. She was quite fed up about. Why couldn't she have gotten Cú Chulainn was beyond her. Damned Grail. She was starting to feel that it wasn't worth it since she couldn't meet the Hound of Ulster in person.

Deciding she had enough of her Servant's lack of action, she went up to her room and knocked.

"Lancer? Lancer?" she called out as she rapped the door. There was no answer... was her Servant ignoring her? As much as she wanted to kick down the door and start berating her Servant, she also knew that both Master and Servant needed to work together to win the War and gain the wish. So, she just opened the door. Her knocking should have already alerted her Servant to her entering.

She found herself feeling dumbfounded when she saw her Servant floating several meters in the air, sitting cross-legged as if in meditation. She saw several more of those strange runes floating and going around her in circles; some fast, some slow. Just then, she watched as the Servant floated down, feet presumably touching the ground. Not that she could see through that rune-inscribed skirt of her Servant. The floating runes disappeared.

"Leave," her Servant told her curtly, "I will not have you intrude on my divination."

"Look, I've given you your space but I've had enough of this," Bazett fired back, "For the past few days you have done nothing but remain in this room. I don't know what you think are doing but you can't just sit here and expect the War to win itself."

"I am simply discovering my next course of action," Lancer replied, "This is not something a Mon-keigh can understand, nor shall I deign an explanation. Leave. Now."

... did her Servant just call her a monkey?

"Now look here, Lancer..." she began again, this time readying her Command Seals. If this Servant refuses to listen... well, she didn't like her hand to be forced into this, but so be it. Before she could continue, however, she found herself flying out of the room and crashing against the wall. She crumpled to the floor; catching her breath, she looked up and found herself facing the point of a spear. A white spear with the upper part of the shaft decorated with intricate markings and gleaming gemstones. There seemed to be a tube connecting the head and the shaft, coiling partly around. And for some strange reason, she could hear the spear... humming?

"Very few of the Mon-keigh have gained my respect," Lancer stated, making as if to glare at her, "You, however, are not one of them. Do not intrude again, or my spear will find your neck faster than you can use those Seals." With that, she withdrew her spear and turned around, the door somehow slamming shut behind her. Leaving behind a rather shocked and troubled Bazett.

* * *

Archer was concerned, even though he did not show it. When he found out recently that Rin was actually on friendly terms with Sakura, and that she summoned an Assassin instead of a Rider, he could not have been more surprised. Then, since there was no Rider, there was no boundary field to sense when they arrived at school that morning. To top it off, Luvia Edelfelt was present in Fuyuki. He knew about her family's history with the previous Wars and yet despite them having sworn off Japan, she was here. The promise of the wish as well as the chance to redeem their failure during the third War seemed to be too irresistible. And now, this strange man that appeared before them when they were on the roof of the school.

School had ended and they were making plans on what to do, when the door to the roof swung open and out stepped a rather well dressed man with long white hair and a short beard. He didn't know who this man was but he noticed the man stare at him for a moment before addressing his Master. He was still in spirit form. It can only mean one thing.

A Servant.

"Ah, Tohsaka Rin? Rin Tohsaka? Mmm, I guess the first one is correct?" the man half greeted in a friendly manner, "Anyway, it's a bit hard to keep track of you, young lady. Especially since you upped and left your class even before I got away from Luvia's side."

"Luvia... so, I presume you are her Servant?" Rin asked cautiously. Archer could sense her tensing up, ready to take action at a moment's notice. He was doing the same. And apparently, the Servant in front of them sensed the same.

"Hey, hey, no need to be so tense," the Servant assured them, holding his hands up in front of him to show his peace, "Luvia just wanted to invite you to a get-together. A meeting. Down at one of the clearings down there. Sports fields, I guess you call them? Besides, we aren't supposed to start yet, right? I mean, there is still one more left."

"... You are right in one aspect," she begrudgingly said, "The War hasn't officially begun. I can only presume she wishes to gauge my strength in this... Fine, before I agree to anything, which class are you?"

Oh? Smart. Based on his laid back attitude, the Servant would probably answer without much thought.

"Rider, at your serv..." he started before pausing. "Tch, great... now she gets angry," Rider muttered before sighing, "Heh, good one, young lady. I guess I'm sorta too honest for this. Oh well, what's done is done. I suppose you agree to the meeting now?" Getting a nod from her, he continued, "Well, seeya later then." He left them, shifting to spirit form.

Archer continued to look at the open doorway, still on guard but slightly baffled. " _Are you sure about this_?" he asked, although he knew this was just a rhetorical question to him.

"Yes," she answered as she turned around to look down the side of the building, "To think she has the nerve to challenge me today. I know I may be reading too much into this, but this is definitely a challenge. Up to now, she stands in my way of becoming the sole top student in school... and now this. I will not let this go unanswered."

He sighed and said, " _What a headstrong Master I have_."

* * *

Night fell quickly. The school was deserted, the teachers having announced a curfew beforehand. All except a few certain individuals.

"Oh, I see you decided to come after all," Luvia exclaimed in fake surprise, "I would have thought you too scared of the cold." Behind her stood the well dressed man in black.

"Save your airs and graces, Edelfelt. There is no one else around to fool," Rin grounded out in annoyance, "Why invite me all the way out here when the War hasn't officially begun yet?" A tanned man in red stood by her side.

"What? Am I not allowed to scout out the competition?" Luvia asked in shock before turning to a haughty sneer, "Then again, I doubt I would be facing much of that with you around. Perhaps I should have saved you for last when I have dispensed with the others."

Rin's brow twitched. "Edelfelt..." she grounded out angrily, "Is that so..." She lifted her arm and pointed at her enemy. "Gandr," she intoned to herself as she narrowed her eyes. The blond's eyes widened as she dodged the small black orb that was sent her way.

"What!? Are you trying to kill me!?" she shouted in disbelief at the Tohsaka.

"Oh no, I wasn't 'trying' to kill you," the black haired girl politely retorted with a smirk, "I 'am going' to kill you."

"Why you...!?" the blond snarled, her face red in anger as she tore off her sleeves to reveal her well toned arms. Tossing the pieces of cloth aside, she charged straight at the smirking girl.

"Go ahead, Edelfelt," Rin taunted as she got into her martial arts form, taking care to use Reinforcement, "You will be put down like the dog you are." She thought Luvia wouldn't be in the right mind for the same. She was wrong.

Stepping forward to punch, she was taken by surprise when Luvia grabbed her arm and pulled her in, wedging it and her head between her body and arm. Then, she got kneed in the gut before having her face introduced to the ground.

"You were saying, Rin?" Luvia taunted in return as she held her down while keeping her body away from Rin. Although, she didn't count on Tohsaka sending a palm strike to her side, the jolt of pain causing her to loosen her hold and for her prisoner to escape.

"You'll pay for that Edelfelt!" declared the angry Tohsaka as she got to her feet, her face now brushed with dust and dirt.

"I didn't know you were that eager to meet the ground again, Rin Tohsaka!" yelled the now smirking Luvia. Her uniform was also dusty, and except for the torn sleeves, she was none worse for wear.

A burst of laughter brought them out of their angry haze. Puzzled, the both of them looked at Rider, the culprit.

"Oh, don't mind me," said the laughing Servant, "Keep on at it. Seems to me you don't need us to fight your own battles."

"It sees my Master is quite capable," the stoic Servant in red commented as well, though if one could look closely, there was a very slight twitch on the side of his mouth.

"You..." grounded out the blond, already feeling beyond embarrassed, "Fine! Attack and defeat them, Rider!"

Rin just sighed as the two Master's separated and put themselves behind their respective Servants. "Archer, I leave this to you. Show me what you are capable of," she ordered calmly, also feeling quite embarrassed to have behaved like that in front of their Servants.

"Oh well, fun while it lasted," said Rider as he shrugged his shoulders. He held his hand out and into it fell a long black pole. He twirled it around a bit before settling it on his shoulder.

Archer said nothing but materialized a pair of swords. One black, one white, with the symbol of Yin-Yang decorating the guard.

"Oh? This is rare," commented Rider with one brow raised, "You know how to use those?"

"Hmm? This is coming from someone who fights with that?" asked Archer in return, pointing at the pole with one sword, "That can hardly be called a weapon."

"Really? Well, what about this?" the Servant replied mysteriously as he held the black pole in his hands. Strands of frost slowly crept out from his gloved hands and soon the whole thing was covered in ice. "Changed your mind yet?" he asked as he got ready to fight.

"Why not change it for me then," the Servant in red stated as he rushed forward on the offensive.

* * *

Bazett had retreated back downstairs and was now seated at a table, nursing a glass while feeling quite morose. Being called a monkey by your own Servant can put you that way, as well as being tossed around like some plaything by said Servant. If only she got Cú Chulainn... darn it, she didn't even know who her Servant was.

" _Now that I think of it_ ," she mused to herself, " _I should be able to dream of Lancer's past now that it is a few days after the summoning. But I have yet to receive any. Why_?"

She put down the glass and got up, making her way to the nearest window. " _Kirei told me it would certainly happen, yet... nothing_ ," she continued her thought train as she looked out, " _It can't be possible, can it_? _Could Lancer be actually stopping it from happening_? _Is it even possible_?"

Suddenly, Bazett could sense Lancer on the move, the Servant's presence suddenly leaving the abandoned manor. Taken aback for a moment, she quickly recovered. " _What made her suddenly leave the manor_? _Did it have something to do with this 'divination' of hers_?" she wondered as she quickly retrieved her jacket and her metal cylinder, racing out of the manor after her Servant.

* * *

Shirou huffed and puffed, adrenalin pushing his body into overdrive. Today started like any other; Sakura and Taiga having breakfast at his house, helping the student council with repairs around the school... leaving a few exceptions like having Edelfelt talk to him that morning and helping Shinji clear up the archery dojo. It was what he found after cleaning the dojo that caused him so much distress. Chancing on two people fighting with weapons was not a normal thing. Worse, it was real weapons, weapons that were made to kill. One side was clad in red, both hands in a blur, yet he could hear the sound of metal clashing against another surface. The other was dressed in black; he seemed just as fast, casually swinging something long in his hands. It looked like... a bar of ice?

"How stupid of me," he muttered as he finally took in his surroundings. He had run into the school, of all places. He should have run into town to somewhere more populated. Feeling it was too late to regret anything now, he tiredly turned around. Nobody was chasing him. Odd. Surely they would have come after him already. He gulped in air to fill his tired lungs and murmured, "What was that?" And then a thought struck him. Thinking back to what he saw, he didn't notice it then, but now that he had a second...

"Wasn't there someone else there too?" he whispered to himself. True, it was a moonless night, but he was sure there were others there too. Watching the fight. Though, he couldn't make out who it was.

"Well, anyways..."

That was all he could say when pain suddenly filled his chest.

* * *

The moment Rider suddenly exclaimed someone was watching, Archer knew who it was. Making a hasty excuse to chase after the unknown, he took off. He knew who was watching. He knew who had stumbled upon their fight.

" _At least some things didn't change_ ," the Servant of the Bow thought as he raced up the building. This particular building was facing the opposite one that he knew the witness had run into. All he had to do was find the boy and kill him. True to his memory, he spotted the boy tiredly leaning against the wall on the second floor. An easy shot for him to make. He materializes a bow, a matte black Western-style straight, as well as a simple black arrow. Stance ready. Arrow notched. Bow raised. String drawn. Aim. Fire.

To the heart.

Having done so, he had to go to the boy. Not to check; the shot was fatal, so death was certain. No, he had to make sure he stayed dead. This time.

Before he made his way down, he noticed a figure on the opposite roof. An odd figure in black and white, it looks like. He looked at it intently when it suddenly melted away from sight. He narrowed his eyes; that was sure to be another Servant. Which one, he did not know. He stared at the empty roof a moment more before going to make sure the boy stayed dead.

* * *

Rin, Luvia and Rider ran after the supposed witness the Servant spotted. They chased after him into the school and after a flight or two, found him. Someone familiar to two of them.

"Oh no... Shirou..." the blond Edelfelt exclaimed in a hushed tone. She stood there frozen in place while Rider and the other girl got closer for a better look.

"What..." sounded the Tohsaka heir in shock, which then became a glare that was directed to the black shaft sticking out of his chest. "Archer... you had better have a good explanation for this," she growled out. This was certainly not what she had planned. Hypnosis was a better alternative after all. Plus, she was also forced into a position to break the news to Sakura. Something she rather not do.

"I don't know how you people do things," said Rider, rather subdued, "But this is overkill. Why did he do this?"

"I do not have to explain myself to you," Archer replied, suddenly appearing, walking from the opposite end of the hall. Turning to his Master, he said, "Rin, I..."

"I can still save him," the black haired girl suddenly said, calmly digging into her pocket as she knelt at the boy's head, "He is still breathing, but barely. If I could just..."

"Rin."

She looked up to her Servant.

"The War is kept secret for a reason," the tanned Servant said, "It is better that..."

"You will save the boy now or she dies."

Rin got up and spun around. The Servants tensed up and faced the owner of the voice. There stood Luvia but it wasn't her that spoke. It was the owner of the blade that was pressed to her neck. The person who had his other arm draped in front of her shoulders was dressed in odd clothes, reminiscent of a naval officer of old. What stood out was what he had as his head. A black skull.


	4. The Final Spirit

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

Rin and Rider stared at the person tensely, careful not to make any sudden moves. Archer, however...

"Why should we save the boy?" he asked calmly as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, "You know that the War must be kept in secret, don't you? Assassin..."

"You are quite astute," the skull-faced Servant all but confirmed his class, not denying Archer's opinion, "Indeed, the War is to be kept secret. But my Master has some interest in the boy, so I would appreciate it that you save him immediately."

"Then why the..."

"It is to persuade you to stop Archer from interfering," the Servant Assassin interrupted Rider, "You would do anything to protect your Master, would you not?"

Rider clenched his fists tightly as he glared at the hostage taker, then he turned to face Archer and got into a boxing stance. "Looks like I'll be fighting seriously right now," he said, sounding a little more serious, "Sorry Archer, but I gotta protect my Master, so you better let yours take care of the boy. Now."

"Tch, it seems luck is not in my favor today," the red-clad Servant grumbled as a worried Rin turned her attention back on the boy. The black arrow seemed to have mysteriously disappeared while they were taking.

"I hope this works," she was heard muttering as she worked on him, "...reforge the damaged... substitute... restore the heart... If I succeed..." She raised her one hand, dangling a ruby amulet over the boy's chest while having her other hand on it. The ruby began glowing, the light slowly intensifying until a bright flash was issued before it went dark completely.

She took a deep breath and sighed, her arms falling loosely to her side, "I'm tired..." The amulet clattered to the ground. She stared at it for a moment and sighed, "...Forgive me, Father. Your daughter is terribly heartless."

Luvia, annoyed that she was made a hostage, lit up with joy when she realized Shirou was going to survive this ordeal. Nevertheless, she made no untoward moves as not to startle the Servant holding her hostage as to preserve her life.

"My thanks for your sacrifice, Master of Archer," Assassin announced, "Now, the three of you will go to the roof of this building."

"What? Hey! We saved the kid already, so let her go," Rider shouted as he spun around to face him.

"That may be, but I rather have all of you be as far away from him as possible when he reawakens," the skull-faced Servant reasoned, "I also do not want to risk another attack."

"Tch, fine. We will wait on the roof," Archer said resentfully as he went with Rin. Rider looked back at his Master for a moment before following suit.

A few seconds passed by. At most, the boy's faint breathing could be heard, calm and relaxed. Assassin relaxed his hold and drew away his blade from her neck, only keeping a firm hand on her shoulder. He pushed her forward; she complied and the both of them hurried around the corner wordlessly. He pulled and pushed her against the wall, his hand now resting against her throat. With that, he peered around the corner and observed.

The boy awoke.

* * *

Rider paced. He was nervous and uneasy. To think he let his guard down and now his Master was being held hostage by Assassin. Rin herself was worried but did not show it; instead, she leaned against the chain-link fence that bordered the roof. Archer though was feeling rather irritated; he had come so close and if not for Assassin, he would have succeeded.

The roof door was pushed open, the metal door slamming against the concrete wall. Luvia half walked, half stumbled out, as if pushed. She quickly gathered herself together and walked calmly to her Servant. A moment later, Assassin stepped out.

"The deed is done," the Servant stated, "The boy survived. He is quite hardy. He even had time to clean up his blood before leaving." Staring at the Tohsaka heir, he continued, "My Master thanks you, Master of Archer."

"I don't suppose your Master would surrender his or her Command Seals as a token of appreciation?" the girl asked disapprovingly, "Are we allowed to leave now or do you wish to get a hold on more hostages and threaten us further?"

"You really shouldn't give him ideas, Little Miss Prim and Proper," Luvia said snidely, "Or do you like being in those positions. Although... it wouldn't really surprise me if you do."

"Luvia..." Rin muttered angrily, her brow twitching a bit, "Let's go Archer."

With a huff, she headed towards the exit, Assassin politely stepping aside. The Servant eyed the remaining two. "I suppose I shall be leaving as well," he said as he disappeared in a burst of darkness.

Luvia frowned and said, "I suppose it is enough for one night. We didn't learn that much, but... it'll do."

* * *

She watched as the final Master and Servant pair left the rooftop. With that happening, she finally dismissed the rune, her invisibility flowing off like water. Lancer then leaped off the roof, gracefully landing on the ground level. She then made haste to the nearest wall, temporarily changing to spirit form the phase through it, halting on the other side. She then turned to look at her Master, who had finally caught up to her.

"It is futile to chase after me, Mon-keigh," she stated to her tired Master, looking a bit winded but still able to move, "If you wish this so called War to expedite itself, it would be wise to let me guide the events into our favor."

"Lancer, we are supposed to be working together to win this War," Bazett tried to reason with her after settling her breathing, "Not each doing their own thing. Please, come back to the manor and we can discuss this, now that you're..."

"Enough! There is no time," the Servant interrupted, "Today is the day and destiny is upon us. Death must have its second meeting or nothing shall come to pass." With that, a rune flashed above her in a white flash as she leaped to the air, moving from roof to roof with a purpose.

The enforcer groaned as she reluctantly readied herself for 'catch up' round two.

* * *

" _Thank you, Assassin._ "

The Servant in question silently trailed after Archer and his Master. He had seen what the red Servant had done. The shot was made without hesitation and he fully intended to have the boy killed. The question was why...

" _You do not need to thank me, Master_ ," he thought back, " _When the boy was shot and you screamed his name, I knew I had to do something. I was merely lucky that they arrived when they did_."

" _Well... just... I really shouldn't have acted like that_ ," his Master replied rather demurely, " _Something unexpected like that... I could only just react. I was... taught better... I... I_..."

" _You feared losing him_ ," the Servant stated. He could sense... imagine her nodding. " _I know what it's like to feel loss. Not only that, I have also seen people experience it. I understand. At least, now you know he is safe. So, do not worry,_ " he assured her.

" _I... thank you, Assassin_."

" _My pleasure_ ," he told her as he continued to shadow the pair. "Now let's find out why you shot to kill, Archer," he muttered to himself.

* * *

Rin leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes, the tiredness from the night's activities slowly catching up to her. Accompanying that was that nagging sense of guilt that she got from using that pendant. That much power stored in the gem, meant for her emergency use during the War, was all used up in bringing back Emiya Shirou from near death. Oh yes, that nagging feeling, berating her for her misuse. And yet, she felt it was the right thing to do. If he had died, it would have been too much for Sakura and it would be detrimental for the both of them should it happen. The secret partnership they had in place would fail and more than likely, neither of them will get what they want.

When she opened her eyes again, she used them to glare at her unapologetic looking Servant. "Now, what do you have to say for yourself, Archer?" she asked of him.

The Servant, who had his eyes closed and head down in contemplation, responded with, "There was another Servant present."

"...?"

She stared at him for a moment, and then, "It was not Assassin? Where was the other Servant?"

"After shooting the boy, I saw the Servant on the roof of the building," he explained, "It looked nothing like Assassin. If anything, I believe it to be Caster, after having the Servant disappear before my eyes."

"... a possible invisibility spell... that may be so," she mused over this new piece of information. And then, she looked startled, her eyes widening in realization, "What if... no, that Servant must have seen us revive him."

Archer nodded and said, "Yes. And, I am sure that the Servant will most certainly go after him, since the secrecy of this War is in danger."

* * *

"And here we are," said Rider as he threw open the doors, feeling relieved, "I suppose you're gonna turn in now?"

Luvia let off a sigh as she closed the door and said, "Well, I guess it would be good to go to sleep. I'm just glad Shirou is alright, though I wish I was the one to save him instead of that Tohsaka."

He suddenly halted, as if remembering something. "Hey Luvia... you know... nobody actually hypnotized the kid..." he said as he creased his brow.

She blinked and stared at him for a moment, trying to come to terms with what he said. And slowly... a smile became etched on her face.

"O ho ho ho, my dear Rin, how forgetful of you," she said rather happily as she began reaching for the door, "I think I shall go and remedy this situation. Let's go Rider. And tomorrow, I shall see the look of defeat on her face. It will be fabulous."

* * *

Emerald eyes peered through the darkness... watching. Noel stood atop the lamp post, fully alert and waiting patiently. It had been a long day and rather than sit back and relax at her house, she chose to venture out into the night to try and find a murderous Servant. Hence, there she was, dressed in more normal clothes; that being a plain, dark blue T-shirt, faded dark jeans and a pair of sports shoes.

" _Tonight is rather dark_ ," she mused as she leaped to another post, " _Thankfully my eyesight is better than most._ " Pausing to wait and look around, she continued, " _I do hope I run into that Servant. Thankfully, I have all week to do this_." She was still quite surprised when her superior actually allowed her a week's leave. Then again, she had a lot of sick days stored up since she had a perfect attendance record.

Jumping off the post and onto a roof, her thoughts drifted over to Rin.

" _I wonder... how is she doing_..." she mulled, pausing her vigilance for a moment of contemplation, " _It... it's been a long time since I... no... I can't go and see her. Not after I broke my promise... I wonder if she still remembers me... I wonder if... she kept Mister Panda_..."

She shook her head and got her mind in order once more. " _No, stop... I have to focus. There is a reason I have to go around at night_ ," she reminded herself, " _I have to prevent more needless deaths... even if they are supposed to be criminals... they are criminals with families to return to. I cannot be lax. If I... if I should meet Rin, then so be it. I'll just... think of something when the time comes_." It was too early for it though... and she had not forgiven herself yet. She needed more time for that to happen. So... not yet...

And then it came. A flare of power caught her attention, in an area she knew well enough.

" _Emiya's house_?" the startled former Servant thought, " _But... there is no way that he would be getting involved. Unless... that Servant strikes there_?" Disbelief remained on her senses, her body hesitating to react, until two more wellsprings of power came forth. " _What!? More!? But that would mean... no_..." she shuddered at the thought. Somehow, the young man caught the attention of one, and then the spike in power alerted two more. She had to get there immediately! To save him and stop a potentially major battle from happening.

With that, she leaped from roof to roof, hoping for two things; to reach there on time... and to not meet Rin that night.

* * *

Shirou collapsed to the floor in the main room. He lay there facing the ceiling, his breathing heavy but his nerves finally calming down. Yet his chest still hurt.

"... So it was true that I was almost killed..." he was able to hash out, but inwardly he knew otherwise. He did die there and then, and yet thanks to some unknown stranger, he was still alive.

"... I wonder who it was. I should at least thank them," he muttered, only to gasp out in pain when a spike of pain went through his recovering heart. Accompanying the moans and groans, a wave of nausea washed over him as he tried to get up to a sitting position.

"... Damn, I'll be having nightmares about this for a while," he grunted as the wave of pain finally settled down to a dull throbbing. Having an arrow to the chest was certainly not very pleasant.

"... All right, I'm starting to calm down," he said to himself after taking a few breaths, thankful for his nightly training, "So, about those guys..." Trying to figure out who those strangers at the school were... it was mind boggling... then again... "... No, that's not the problem..." His brow furrowed in thought. It did seem that he stumbled into something that was out of his league. The two men that were fighting and the mysterious deaths that had been happening recently...

"If Father was still alive..." he began but then he shook his head as he berated himself, "... Idiot. I've already decided that I would do what I can, even when I don't understand."

Suddenly, he was jarred out of his thoughts when the bell that hung from the ceiling rang. And then the lights suddenly went out.

"A burglar... at a time like this?" he asked aloud, but a few seconds later he inwardly corrected himself. Someone else was here... possibly connected to what he saw earlier. The timing was too close for it to be a simple burglar. Whatever it was, he didn't want this encounter to end like it did earlier. No. He had better prepare himself. Now... what could he use...

* * *

Lancer was a picture of calm when she watched the human feel around for something. Then, she felt a twinge of amusement when he picked up what seemed to be a rolled up piece of metal.

" _Does the Mon-keigh honestly wish to fight me off with that_?" the Servant asked herself when she watched him do something to it. It looked like he was imbuing it with something, as it gave off a peculiar sheen for a moment or so when he was done with it.

" _I suppose now is the time to play my part_ ," she mused as she came out of concealment, " _Even if I wonder why this one had been chosen_..."

"I truly cannot understand as to why they brought you back," she said, her echoing voice announcing her presence to the young Mon-keigh. The one in question seemed to be startled, and upon the sight of her spear, scrambling away from her before getting to his feet and into a defensive stance. "You have the potential to be great," she continued, noting his confusion and tenseness, "Thus it is more beneficial for me to cast you from the pool of Masters in the War, as to guarantee my victory." This spawned even more confusion and yet she could see him slowly inching away from her, in the direction of the room's exit. " _Up close, he seems insignificant. Yet, t_ _o be the one that has to come close to death twice and live, for better or for worse, he will change the course of this War_ ," she thought as she made her observations, " _How,_ _I cannot tell, since it has yet to be seen the type of decisions he must make... And now the time for action has come_."

In one smooth motion, Lancer suddenly swiped her spear horizontally, keeping the spear dangerously close to the young human male. He didn't dodge, but was able to swing his metal tube up and deflect the spear point off course. She tilted her head to the side almost slightly; the attack wasn't too lethal and yet still fast enough to be a blur to his eyes, and still he was able to deflect it, even just a bit. Perhaps the tip of the iceberg of this one's potential for power.

He suddenly made a dash for the door. She quickly spun and brought the spear down in his path, making him stop abruptly. It was swung forward, striking him in the gut and pushing him back. Deftly bringing it back, she stepped forward for a stab. He was able to deflect it again, only this time it wasn't enough; the point was able to graze his shoulder, drawing blood. She swung twice more, each time she had it barely touching him, but he would be able to parry each one as if on instinct. He then suddenly charged at her and hit her with the metal tube. She allowed it, seeing that such a feeble construct would barely do anything to her wraithbone armor. She could sense his disbelief as he started at the bent rod in his hands.

"Your kind always seem to go against fate, Mon-keigh," she stated as she pulled out a bit of her power, a mere drop in the sea, and used it to fling him outside. He smashed through the paper thin walls of the door and landed beyond that in a heap, crashing through the large glass sliding doors that separated the hallway and the garden. She calmly went after him, only pausing to phase through the undamaged walls via spirit form. The young human got up and hastily swung out behind him; a good precaution, but such a thing done blindly would not even touch her unless she lets it. With a simple gesture, another drop was used, this time causing an explosion of power right in front of the young one's body. He flew through the air, his body traveling long and far before striking a secondary building off the side of the clearing. He crashed into the wall, bouncing off the canopy that was over the entrance before dropping to the cold, hard earth.

She calmly walked towards him as he struggled to overcome the pain he was put through. In a rare display of tenacity not always seen amongst his kind, he was able to drag himself over to the door and slide it open, hobbling inside the building. Lancer was in no hurry; in this instance, one could equate her to a patient hunter, one who had already cornered her prey and had shut off all avenue of escape. There was no need to hurry, of that she was sure. As if having completed a leisurely stroll through the gardens, she calmly walked through the open doorway. He stood there shakily in a messy state, holding a metal bar in front of him. She took a step forward. He lunged in a feeble attempt to stab her. She dismissed his bravado, turning aside to let the improvised weapon pass her while slamming the shaft of the spear into his gut. She then sent the flat of spear point slamming into his head, knocking him down. She did not need to use much force, for it was only a simple tap. It was enough, though, to have made a small cut that let blood trickle down the side of his face. His breathing was heavy yet his eyes, having stayed locked on her the moment she stepped inside, remained so defiantly stubborn. There was fire in this one.

"There is much you have yet to learn, Mon-keigh," she admonished him, like talking to a child, "Yet, by your actions, you will never have the time to do so." She raised her weapon, having the point barely brushing on the skin of his forehead, "Because of your actions, your life is forfeit. Perhaps if you had been more careful and aware, it may not have come to this." She raised her weapon high, her intent was clear as she aimed for his head, "Farewell." The point fell, just as she felt a surge of power coming from somewhere inside the building. Still, the point sped to its destination...

...only for it to clash against another weapon. With that, Lancer leaped backward, landing outside the building. Her vision went back inside, noting the newly summoned Servant, especially her hidden weapon. She could sense great power coming from it and felt that she would be the most difficult of opponents in the coming future. Still, what she came to do here is done.

" _And so it has come to pass. My work here is complete... for now_ ," she whispered in her mind before she disappeared, not only shifting to spirit form but also concealing herself from the senses of others meant to be like her. It was time to retrieve her so-called Master and retreat.

* * *

The pale moonlight shone upon her form, the clouds suddenly being pulled away. It gave her an ethereal presence which can only be described in one word. Beautiful. Shirou didn't know what to think. One minute, he was facing death for the second time of the day, something that riled him up so, something that made him angrily and defiantly wish to live. And in the next minute, she appeared in knightly glory, driving back that spear user. With that done, the girl turned to him and asked, her voice filled with determination, "I, Servant Saber, have come forth in response to your summons. I ask of you. are you my Master?"


	5. The Long Night

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

"Huh... Mas... ter...?"

Saber stared at him for that moment. At that moment she wondered why this young magus would want to take part in this War. Perhaps to prove himself? Yet, as she continued looking over him, she could clearly see the confusion marked on his face. Did he not know what he was getting into?

"I, Servant Saber... have come forth in response to your summons," she told him, hoping maybe that he was shocked at the prospect of having an unexpectedly strong Servant, and yet she could see that his confusion was true. "Please give me an order, Master," she requested from him. There was still confusion, but that was marred by pain when the boy suddenly winced, bringing up his left hand by reflex. There on his hand, clear as day, were the Command Seals.

"From this time forth, my sword shall be with you and your fate shall be with me," she announced at the confirmation of the contract between them, "Now, our contract is complete." She could feel the bond between them; it was faint but it was there. She held back a frown, assuming that this young magus probably made a mistake in the summoning, causing this weak bond. Then again, she couldn't blame him; clearly he was being attacked when he performed the summoning, otherwise the connection would be sound.

"Contract? What are you talking about...?!" sputtered her Master, his eyes going wide in surprise.

Her own feelings were almost displayed on her face. " _Doesn't he know_?" she wondered as she turned around to look at the doorway. It seems the enemy Servant had left. She remained calm but was on full alert now. The other Servant had some sort of lance or spear, so it was probably from the Lancer class. Taking a careful step outside the building, she paused to scan the skies. Nothing. Good. All she had to worry now was for ground-based ambushes. The area itself felt familiar to her. An old, Japanese-style housing area. Plus, the minor building... it reminded her of her time with Irisviel.

" _I wonder what happened to her daughter_ ," she thought, wondering how the little girl would be coping with the death of her mother. Her father... no... it was best not to think about him. That man...

"Who... are you?"

"...? What do you mean? I am the Servant Saber," she replied, turning to face her Master, who had followed after her, "You summoned me, so I do not think you should need to confirm it."

"The Servant Saber?"

"Yes, so please call me Saber," she requested. Yet she could still see confusion and uncertainty.

"I-I see. That's a strange name."

Now he looked as if he was embarrassed. " _Truly odd. Why is he behaving like so_?" she asked herself as another thought came to mind, " _And what of his family_? _Surely his elder would have educated him when he had been selected for the War_. _Or perhaps... he was someone recently chosen_? _This might explain his confusion. This also means my summoning was not at all planned_... _or perhaps not according to plan_..."

"... I'm Shirou. My name is Emiya Shirou... and I live in this house."

What!?

She stared at him calmly, while inwardly feeling quite shocked... and somewhat outraged at the name. " _But... my Master looks nothing like him... perhaps he just happens to share the same name as his..._ " she reasoned.

"No, wait. I take that back. That's not what I meant to ask you. Actually..."

"I understand," she interrupted, "You are not a formal Master, correct?"

" _Yes... perhaps it is purely coincidence_."

"Huh?"

"But you are still my Master. As long as we have made the contract, I will not betray you," she assured him, "There is no need for you to be so cautious."

"That's wrong. My name isn't Master."

Quite upfront and to the point, it seems. It seems she might be able to get along with him. "Then I shall call you Shirou. Yes, I like the sound of that," she then told him, wondering why he started blushing when she said that.

"Wait a minute. Why are you calling me..."

And then he started wincing in pain again. Lifting up his left hand, he displayed the Seals, throbbing and glowing ever so slightly.

"Those are your Command Seals, Shirou," she began to explain, thinking she had better get him up to speed, seeing that he was new to this, "The three claims on a Servant's obedience and life of a Master. Please do not use them thoughtlessly."

It seemed that he had further questions, but it was then she sensed something... no... four presences outside. And two of them, who she suspected were Servants, were getting ready to attack. It seems she would be defending her new Master once more. She did wonder though, how did they know so fast? No matter. It is time to defend her Master's dwelling.

"Excuse me, Shirou, but there are enemies outside," she told him as she faced the wall, ready to go over it, "I shall repel them and we will talk shortly."

* * *

Noel was quite stunned by the turn of events. First having assumed a large scale battle was going to happen at the Emiya household, she was at first taken aback by the appearance of yet another Servant's presence, right inside the house itself. Then, the first Servant's presence suddenly disappeared.

" _Did... did that boy somehow summon a Servant_?" she remembered wondering as she continued speeding there, still worried that a fight might take place. Surely this new Servant will react to the other two presences and will definitely try and fight them.

Then, she got there, when the two others unexpectedly stopped right outside the boundary of the house. She could clearly see two Servants there. One in red and another in black. The strange thing was that it was the Masters that were verbally fighting each other. That was not the most shocking part. What stunned her the most was that one of the Masters was Rin herself.

" _Why... after all this time... I had to run into her... of all people_..." she asked herself despairingly. She was not ready. And yet, there she was. And whether she liked it or not, Noel had to make herself known just to stop a potential fight in front of her.

It was then, matters somehow became worse. Or maybe not. Because the new Servant decided to show up and confront all of them. And it was someone she recognized all too well.

* * *

They were not expecting each other. One was making an attempt to save a boy her former sister knew. Another was on the way of doing what the Second Owner should have done, hide the existence of magecraft via hypnosis. And by mere chance, the situation started to become quite volatile.

"... Just what are you doing here, Edelfelt," asked Rin after getting over her surprise. If only her glares could kill.

"Oh, I don't know, doing what you were supposed to be doing?" Luvia replied nonchalantly with a smirk, "Although, since you're here as well, I suppose you are here to remedy your slip up?"

"... What are you rambling about?" the former asked, looking rather confused by what she said.

"Hmm?" the latter sounded, the smirk going away, "Wait, if you're not here to hypnotize Shirou, then what are you here for?"

"I have no time for this," the Tohsaka heir growled out before trying to get around the blonde.

"Oh no, you will answer me, Tohsaka girl," a frowning Luvia said harshly, getting in the way once more and pushing her rival back, "Let me guess, being the barbarian you are, you are going to silence him permanently then?"

"What?! Are you stupid?" Rin retorted, her voice going up a notch, "What in the world made you think I am coming all the way here, in the middle of the night no less, to kill him? Even after using my most powerful gem to heal him? Get out of my way Edelfelt, I have to get there before it's too late."

"Oh no, you are too suspicious... Rider, please take care of her," the blonde simply stated calmly, her mind seemingly already set on her course of action.

"Geez, we really should stop meeting like this," sighed Rider, his weapon of choice ready on his shoulder.

"Tch, Archer, please make this quick," the Tohsaka ordered reluctantly as she leaped back.

"It is useless to complain, Rider," Archer said as he materialized as well, both his blades ready as well, "This is what we are supposed to do, after all."

"Right... let's get this over with then," the Servant dragged out before readying himself, the frost already covering the black pole.

Yet, before they could begin their fight, a familiar sensation pulsed through the area. It came from the house that the both of them were heading to.

"You know..." started Rider, the first to break the silence, "Maybe we shouldn't start fighting? I'm sure you all felt that, right?"

"What aren't you telling us, Rin," Luvia frowned, making it sound more like a demand than a question.

"There is no time, you dumb blonde!" the Tohsaka shouted at her. Turning to her Servant, she ordered, "Let's go, Archer. For all we know, we may be too late and he is already dead."

"Damn it, you stupid girl," growled out the Edelfelt, "After them, Rider!"

The two pairs raced down the lane, but only for a short while. Something came over the wall and landed in front of them. A young woman in shining armor with an old styled dress colored in blue. She stood in front of them holding something. They did not know what sort of weapon she was holding; this put them on guard, ready to react to whatever happened.

"You shall not pass," she announced with a stern look in her eyes. She was on guard as well, her eyes slowly going between all four persons.

While the two Masters felt a little perplexed as to her class, Archer felt things get all the more difficult. On one hand, the boy summoned Saber, as expected. On the other, her presence made his goal in eliminating his former self a whole lot more complicated. Rider, however...

"What do you think, Luvia?" the Servant asked discreetly, "Should we do our best to take her out, or delay her while you girls run ahead?"

"Delay her," Rin interrupted, a plan already developing behind her brow, "We have to get to Emiya. For certain, her Master is nearby and is most likely with him as we speak. Archer, work with him." A subtle nod was the response.

"Do it," affirmed Luvia with a nod of her own.

"Right," he acknowledged. Glancing at the other Servant's choice of weapon, he asked, "You gonna switch to ranged or all in with me?" There was no response, for he had already taken off.

"All in it is then," the Servant of the Mount muttered, raising a brow for a moment before going after him, easily keeping pace.

Saber, seeing that the two other Servants were charging her down, tightened her grip and responded in kind. Both parties would have certainly clashed, if...

"Optic Barrel!"

A symbol appeared between them, two yellow revolvers forming an X, and exploded. Both sides ground to a halt, both searching for the owner of the voice, wary of any more sudden attacks. They didn't have long to wait.

"There will be no fighting tonight," said the owner of the voice as she landed a bit to the side of the road. She smiled a bit as she greeted a little hesitantly, "Hello. Nice to see you again Saber... and Rin." Despite the hesitancy, she still kept her guns trained on the Servants.

"Archer?!" said the two in surprise, the Tohsaka a little more subdued. The others were looking at her, and then at the other two, feeling quite confused.

"Saber! Where are you!?"

After that shout, a young man came running around the corner. He suddenly stopped, all movement halted in surprise the moment he laid eyes on the small gathering before him. And his words mirroring his surprise in minor labored breath, "Eh... Officer... Mackenzie?"

While the others looked at the supposed police officer in puzzlement, Rin's and Archer's was unreadable. Rin was a multitude of emotions behind that blank facade, but she was also intent in addressing them once everyone else was out of earshot. Archer, however, was quite concerned. In the beginning, he had fully expected having to come across Gilgamesh. That expectation slowly dwindled until it was eliminated completely when he met this young lady. The one who was supposed to be the previous War's Archer. Yet another unknown added to the mix and probably a ton more complications included.

"Well, it seems everything is coming out of the woodwork tonight," Rin stated clearly, breaking the tense silence that came upon them, although she sported a smile that unnerved the boy, "From unknown magi to forgotten Servants," making sure to look at those two newcomers specifically. "I should apologize though. Good evening, Emiya," she greeted, the smile suddenly becoming warm and welcoming.

"While that is all well and good Rin... Masters, if you would please ask your Servants to keep their weapons?" the former Archer asked nicely. Archer and Rider got nods from their Masters, and so they did, though the red clad Servant was a little more reluctant to do so. Saber went to a relaxed stance, as if she had already done so. The officer let out a sigh of relief. "Crisis averted... for now," she muttered aloud as she lowered her own weapons. Then, noticing the present confusion on Shirou's face, she said, "You don't seem to be aware of what you got yourself into, Emiya."

"Ah... yeah... I was going to ask Saber about this when she suddenly jumped over the wall," he replied, rather subdued, "I still have so many questions..."

"Not to worry, Shirou," Luvia suddenly said with a smile of her own, "Please, allow me to explain everything." With that, she suddenly took hold of him by the arm and pulled him towards his house. Rider and Saber stared at each other, the former shrugging before the both of them followed after.

"Follow them, Archer," Rin ordered with an annoyed sigh, "Make sure she doesn't make any stupid moves."

As the red dressed Servant nodded and went after them, she turned to face the former Archer. They both stared for a moment before she asked, "Why didn't you come and see me, Archer?"

"Ah... I..." she stuttered a moment before her shoulders sagged, "I go by Noel now... I used my real name. The Mackenzie's took me in at the request of Rider's Master... well, the Rider of that War..."

"Archer... Noel... please answer the question," the Tohsaka asked patiently.

"... I was ashamed... I still am... my promise..."

"What? You thought... ugh..." she trailed off in disbelief. Keeping it together, she continued, "All that time, you really thought I wouldn't forgive you... Noel, you idiot."

"Eh?" she sounded in surprise.

"A magus walks with death," Rin stated, "The things we practice can potentially kill us in every way possible. My father knew that as well. Despite every precaution, skills, and power my father put into his plans, he already knew that there was always a slim chance that it may turn on him. He knew that and he proceeded nonetheless, and in a way, taking responsibility for his actions. My father's death is on no one's head but his own. You are not to blame. Not fully anyway." She smirked, looking at her astonished looks, "If it makes you any better... I, Tohsaka Rin, hereby absolve you of your promise."

The girl was quite surprised by the hug that came next. "Huh, well... now I'm really glad nobody can see this," she muttered, though with a real smile on her face.

"I... I have something to do now," Noel told her as she released the hug, "But, if you can, I need to meet as many, if not all, of the Masters of the War. If you know them, even better. There are things that happened in the past War that may happen again in this War if we don't stop it."

Stunned, the black haired magus said, "Well, I don't know about all the Masters but..."

"Please... I know you don't like the Edelfelt but you have to get her too," Noel stressed, "This goes well beyond everything you know of the War. And... no matter what, don't let anyone else know, not even the mediator. Not that I don't trust him, but if he is the one who I suspect he is, he may try to interfere."

"... Alright... I will try my best," she acceded.

"Thank you," Noel thanked with a grateful smile. Giving a wave with one of her guns, she quickly took to the roofs.

The smile was returned, and it stayed there for a while before it faded. She turned around and went into the house, hopefully to stop Luvia from being an idiot. What she found was strange. When she walked into what she assumed was the living room, she found the girl in question stock still and frozen, staring at Shirou like he was a stranger. She could hear her muttering something about Reinforcement. Saber was just standing there, seemingly calm about whatever had transpired. The other two Servants were not present there physically, more likely in spirit form. Shirou himself looked a little sheepish.

"Just what in the world happened to the ditz?" she asked the boy.

"Well... I just told her that..."

* * *

She crossed the rooftops with relative ease. It wasn't long after she had left Rin that she had felt another spike in power. It wasn't as clear as the other Servants but it was there, just a little out of reach from her senses. But it was close enough, and so Noel hurried there in hopes of catching the Servant red handed. Leaping off the next house, she deftly landed on her feet and continued her run. Around the next corner...

She skidded to a halt. It was a woman. She seemed to be wearing some sort of grey cloth robes with white trimmings and a rather large collar, as well as a darker grey cloth belt. She was standing over the body of a young man with a haircut that denounced him as a delinquent or a gangster. She was holding up some sort of dimly glowing green orb, which was dropped onto the body. The orb splashed onto the body and much to Noel's horror, melted it into a slurry which quickly evaporated. She also noticed several other wisps of pale smoke from two other places at the intersection. She then focused on the wayward Servant, glaring at her while readying Bolverk.

The woman finally noticed her. "Well, I certainly didn't expect anyone to catch me in the act," she said rather calmly, as if talking about the weather, "Though, I suppose it was inevitable. Be that as it may, I'm afraid that I have to remove you from the picture. I really dislike that rule about common folk, but I guess you can blame the ones that came up with this stupid secret war..." And yet, when she did notice the guns, her tone changed to be a lot more serious, "Then again, you don't seem to be one of the common folk, are you..."

Without taking her eyes away, the Servant held up her hands in front of her chest and began muttering in some unknown language. Noel tensed up, her hands gripping the guns a bit more tightly, her eyes not once leaving the Servant. Then, a ball of fire appeared, small at first but grew to be as large as the woman's head. The mutterings stopped and ball remained stationary in one hand.

"You seem to be clueless," the Servant stated, once again sounding calm, "If you don't know already, I'm Caster. You are welcome to try and attack me. Just so you know, if I lose control of this Fireball... well, you should know the results won't be very pretty. Although, fireworks would be nice to watch at this time of night..."

"... You wouldn't dare!" Noel shouted, shocked by the threat. She took careful aim at Caster, "The people here do not know of the War! Why would you drag them into it!?"

"You seem awfully concerned about their well being," the Servant said with a frown, "What an odd thing you are. Then again, perhaps you don't understand. If you attack me, people will die." And then she muttered, "Really, these are the kind of people the Knight-Captain had to face? Tiresome lot."

Noel had no reply. She had to stop her from threatening the ordinary people. She did not have any magic to call on nor did she have any special defenses that can negate it. But, she had something... a long shot... but it may work. And gamble she did...

"Optic Barrel!"

As she expected, Caster sent the fireball on reflex straight at her; the flaming projectile collided with her attack and engulfed the intersection in a bright explosion, sending her flying back. She was able to land on her feet and she instinctively shielded her eyes. When the brightness went down, she ran up to investigate. Nothing. Nothing except plenty of scorch marks everywhere. She did, however, hear something moving away from her. She gave chase, thinking that it was Caster. Down the road she ran and came to another intersection, a three way road, with a minor road leading to an alley.

"You are resilient enough."

Noel blinked. Was she seeing things or were there two Casters in front of her?

"By the way you handle those things, you must be Archer."

Two more voices behind her. She spun around and found two more Casters. What was going on?

"You know, if I was alive, I would have just Fireburst and be done with you."

And yet two more voices coming from the third road. Caster... and Caster...

"Oh well, a word of warning for the next time we meet."

Noel turned to the voice now coming from the alleyway. While the others looked as calm as the previous one, this Caster had quite a haughty look on her face.

"If you wish to play with fire, expect to get burned."

All of them suddenly vanished, leaving only faint wisps of smoke behind. Getting over the surprise, the former Servant let off a tired sigh. All that and she still wasn't able to stop her. Well, at least now she could put a face to the killer. But soon after, she groaned, her shoulders slumping in her depression. She had forgotten to tell Caster to ask her Master for a meeting.

* * *

Very little happened from the time at the Emiya house to the time when the group reached the church. Rider and Archer had gone into spirit form, leaving the other four to make the hour long trip on foot, though thanks to Shirou's short cut, it was made in less. Rin and Saber did get along well enough, though with Luvia alternating between snide remarks about the Tohsaka and keeping close with Shirou, it was still a little tense. With the journey over, the Servants remained outside while the Masters went in. Somehow, it still seemed well lit despite it being so late. And then the priest showed up. Kotomine Kirei. His explanation of the War was... informative. For both Shirou and for Luvia. Even more so for the Edelfelt, with all her assumptions about the War either being confirmed to be true or revealed to be just hearsay from the older members of her family.

Yet, Shirou seemed to be struggling with coming to terms with his involvement; it showed with the back and forth questions and answers between him and the priest. That was until the priest mentioned the previous War and the conflagration that occurred. The boy looked quite sick when he heard it.

"What? To think such a thing happened?" muttered Luvia, looking surprised.

Rin was not affected, having heard of it before, but...

"Emiya? What's wrong? You look quite pale... I know it's an uncomfortable story... but if you want, we can have a rest for a while," she offered, showing concern for the red-head's ill looks.

"Oh yes, you do look unwell, enough. Let me make it better," Luvia suddenly said as she moved in to hug him.

"Can you really afford to act like this, you blonde ditz," said the Tohsaka as she tugged the girl's dress, pulling her away from the boy.

"You stupid witch, let go! I am merely comforting him, something you are obviously unable to do," the Edelfelt retorted, rather angry with the interruption.

"Ah, please don't argue, I'm fine now. Really," spoke up Shirou, feeling rather glad for the concern, since it successfully brought him out of it.

And so the back and forth continued, until Kotomine asked him for his final decision.

"I will fight as a Master," he said, full of determination and conviction, "If the cause of the fire ten years ago was the Holy Grail War, then I can't let it happen again.

The priest smiled in satisfaction upon hearing those words. "Then I shall approve you as Saber's Master," he announced, "In this instant, the Holy Grail War can begin. I approve of the battle in this town, from now until only one Master remains. Everyone shall follow their pride and compete fully against each other."

At that point, they turned to leave. Rin wanted to grill the priest for information, as this would be the last time she would be allowed to come here until after the War ends. It was only because of the presence of the Edelfelt that she held her tongue. The priest followed after them, only stopping at the end of the row of pews. Just as they opened the door...

"Rejoice, young man, for your wish has been granted."

Shirou halted in his tracks and very slowly, turned to face him, "What do you..."

"Every hero needs a villain, do they not?"

A simple question. The boy tensed up at those words. Rin and Luvia turned to face him with puzzlement on their faces.

"Farewell, Emiya Shirou. This will be my last warning to you. Be careful on your way home. Things will not be the same ever again. From this point, it is kill or be killed. You are now a Master."

With that, he turned around and walked towards the altar. Shirou took a moment to look at the back of the priest before exiting, the two girls following after.

"I do hope you listened, Emiya Shirou," the priest muttered darkly as the door clicked shut, a smirk etching on his face, "You really should be careful on your way home."

* * *

"That so called senior apprentice of yours is rather odd," Luvia started offhandedly as the door closed.

"Oh shut up, Edelfelt," Rin retorted immediately, "I never wanted him as a senior. Don't talk as if I had any choice in the matter."

After having informed Saber of Shirou's decision, the entire group moved to journey back to the other side of the river. After walking down the hill in silence...

"Ahhhh, you all sure took your time," let out Rider as he stretched, coming out of spirit form, "Things were so quiet out here, I'm getting a little restless. Though, I'd rather be in a bed right now than wandering around out here."

"Rider... you know that with Saber already summoned, the War has started right?" asked Luvia with a slight glare, "Instead of going back to bed, we should settle our differences right now."

"Geez, figures you'd be in the mood again," her Servant lightly grumbled, "Fine, we'll do it..."

"Edelfelt, there is nothing I'd like more than to shove those words in your face right now," started Rin, her own glare developing, "But... I have a feeling there are other things at stake."

"What do you mean, Tohsaka?" asked the surprised boy.

"Earlier, Noel... I mean, Officer Mackenzie, said something odd," she revealed, drawing everyone's curiosity, "She said something... she was quite secretive, but she said things that happened in the previous Grail War may happen again. Right now, I am hoping to find her tomorrow and get some answers out of her. It feels... disconcerting."

"Well, I suppose you can..." started the blonde...

"Hey, have you finished talking?"

A young voice echoes through the night. Everyone turned and looked up the hill. The revealed moonlight shone down to reveal a large silhouette; a tall and muscular man, his skin white as the pale moonlight with a red tattoo on one side of his body. Two handles, presumably of his weapons, jut out from behind his shoulders. Beside him was a smaller shadow, a young girl dressed in purple, with skin and hair just as white.

"I can't tell..." the Tohsaka muttered out in uncertainty, "It could be Berserker..."

"It must be Berserker... Lancer did not look like that," stated Saber as she pulled off the yellow raincoat, preparing herself.

The little girl smiled.

"Good evening, Onii-chan. It's nice to meet you again."


	6. There Is Only War

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

The girl just stood there, though her smile seemed to melt away as she looked over the people who were present.

"Hmm, I didn't expect this many people here," she said, making her assumptions known, "Still, I can't pass this up. Killing all of you will certainly put me ahead."

Those ominous words froze the other three Masters. Shirou was taken aback at how calmly the girl said it. He knew all participants were magi and had expected such words, but hearing those words coming from what he perceived was a little girl still troubled him. Saber remained stoic, and closed her eyes as if in thought or even resignation. Rin and Luvia, however, tensed up and readied themselves for the battle that will likely follow.

Then, the white haired girl took a step forward and curtsied. The formal greeting was not normal, what she said was even more so. "Nice to meet you, Rin. I am Illya. Oh, and good evening to you, Luvia," she greeted politely, "But... I think you two can work it out yourself if I state my full name... Illyasviel von Einzbern."

"Einzbern..." the black haired girl muttered aloud, involuntarily taking a step back. Indeed, as expected, she knew the name quite well. Unfortunately, so did the blonde.

"Oh? What makes you so sure that take on three Servants and live?" she said, projecting a rather confident show of herself.

"Will you stop antagonizing her, you stupid ditz?" Rin uttered out, preferring to be on the more cautious side. Without knowing Berserker's full capabilities, that would be the best path.

"Oh really? That family consistently loses the War," the Edelfelt stated aloud, much to the chagrin of the other two beside her, "So much, I heard that the last War, they had to get outside help. And in the end, that outside help failed to win too. The Ma..." She trailed off, suddenly turning to Shirou and asked, "Wait... Shirou... do you, by chance, know of a... Kiritsugu Emiya in your family?" The Tohsaka turned to him too, recognizing the name as well.

"Eh?" the red head sounded in surprise, "That... that's my father's name... uh, I mean, he adopted me, so..."

"What right have you to call him your father?"

They turned back to the young Einzbern. "You... because of you... that 'he' abandoned me," Illya said calmly, but one could see the venom in her eyes. If looks could kill...

"Wait, what? But that would make you..." trailed off Rin.

"Indeed. You can say that he 'fathered' me," the young girl replied, "You can also say that me being here is not just for the War, but also to correct past 'mistakes'."

Shirou was still frozen in shock, his mind reeling from the revelation of a living relative.

" _Archer... go back to using your class specialty_ ," Rin silently told her Servant, " _This is slowly getting out of hand. Be prepared._ "

" _As good as Rider and Saber might be, how sure are you of your safety?_ " he asked in return.

" _Those two are more than enough. I want to have you in prime position to strike, should the need arise_ ," she reasoned.

" _Understood_."

"Regardless, all this talking has gone long enough," Illya announced, "Ber..."

"Wait!" shouted Shirou, catching her attention, "Uh, Illyasviel... what can I do as a brother for you?"

"Shirou!" said Saber, the warning tone in her voice evident, "What are you..." The other two just stared at him in disbelief.

"Saber, I can't sit idle when... she... my sister," the red head started. He shook his head and turned his attention back to her, saying, "You don't have to kill anybody. Nobody has to die for this. Please, surely there is some other way to meet your expectations. I mean, as your brother, you do expect me to help you, right?"

Illya laughed, her chilling smile coming back to her face. And she said, "No, Onii-chan, I expect you to die."

Ignoring Shirou's shocked face, she ended the discussion with, "Berserker. Kill them."

The Servant in question ran forward into a leap, drawing his weapons at the height of the ascent.

"Shirou, move!" shouted Saber as she rushed forward to protect them. Her invisible sword clashed with twin, jagged blades. Both sides fought for dominance, but with a burst of prana, Saber pushed him off. Wasting no time, she charged forward to follow up. The boy looked on in slight worry.

As the battle continued before them, Rider asked, "Want me to join in, Luvia?"

"No. I don't think its necessary," she said confidently, "As much power as he probably has, this Berserker doesn't seem to be able to overpower Saber. She should be able to handle him without much problem."

"This doesn't seem right," Rin spoke up, "Yes, Berserker may or may not be equally matched, but I don't see any signs of the Mad Enhancement the class is known for. It probably has yet to be activated."

"That is where you're wrong, Rin," interjected Illya with a smile, "Mad Enhancement is already active. Fully active."

"Hah! Then it stands you summoned a weak Berserker!" declared Luvia with a smirk, "Once again, the Einzberns prove to be losers."

Despite all the blonde's glee, the albino girl continued to smile angelically, fully unworried by the insults.

Rin still felt suspicious but turned her concentration to the fight.

* * *

Blades clashed multiple times. She was agile, weaving in and out of his reach and preventing him from fully utilizing his dual wielding style. She used heavy strokes, the weight of her blows forcing him to sometimes use both blades to push back. He was more direct, constantly charging in and trying to rip her apart with his jagged blades. He used heavy strokes as well, but she was more than a match for it. For a moment, they seemed to be deadlocked, both sides on an even playing field.

However, Saber could sense that the power behind his attacks were increasing with every blow. She noticed the strange glowing on her opponent's swords, ever increasing and slowly intensifying until it encased it. And then the unexpected happened. At the next charge, he swung upwards, throwing his fiery swords forward. She dashed back out of reach. The swords swung upwards and was pulled back to his hands by fiery chains that encircled his bronze bracers. She looked as his fury filled face and readied herself. He roared.

The battlefield exploded into a storm of chain and fire.

* * *

Two of the three stared at the turn of events in shock. One continued to look on worriedly. Rider watched calmly, inwardly wanting to pitch in a helping hand. Illya just smiled.

"What was that you said about my family being losers, Luvia?" the little girl asked innocently, "Or have you swallowed that tongue of yours?"

"What in the world is this?" Rin asked aloud, snapping out of her stunned state. Turning to the Einzbern, "How can you say Mad Enhancement is fully active? His power is still rising! Were you lying?"

"Oh no, I was telling the truth," the little girl replied nonchalantly with a smile, "It is fully active. It just... takes time."

"What kind of Mad Enhancement is that?!" the Edelfelt girl exclaimed in disbelief.

Rin narrowed her eyes in thought, "Either a personal skill... or a Noble... Phantasm..."

"Luvia, send me in," Rider requested, bringing out the black metal rod, taking care not to take his eyes off the fight, "If this goes on, very soon that guy will overwhelm her. We have to take him now."

"Not yet," his Master replied, glancing over at Rin, "I must at least let Miss Second Owner make her move first."

"I know what you're doing," the Tohsaka frowned at the thought, although reluctantly agreeing with her train of thought, "I would do the same in your position. Unfortunately, it seems I have no choice." Then she declared aloud, "Archer! Fire support!"

Berserker was at mid charge when a flash of light lit the sky above the city for a second, but that was enough to warn him. Halting the charge, his feet digging grooves into the beaten earth. Looking to the sky, he crossed arms in front, making sure to bare the armor piece on his right shoulder. As if time slowed to a crawl, the armor suddenly began glowing just as the red streak became visible near him. He slowly bent back, as if the supposed projectile pushed against the golden barrier that formed, his crossed arms slowly moving upwards. And then... with a great roar... he slashed downwards, the red arrow suddenly sent back to its source, now golden in color.

* * *

Archer stared intently into the distance. He knew that the arrow will most certainly hit. Since this War's Berserker was not Hercules, he didn't have to worry about a Servant with absurd regeneration rates and immunity to damage below a threshold. Granted he didn't know the skills of this War's Berserker... what did he just do?

He swiftly dashed to the side, getting out of the way of the golden arrow. Pausing to look in disbelief at the fading golden streak, he turned back to the direction of the battle, a clear frown on his face.

" _Rin, please tell me that it wasn't Berserker who did that_ ," he queried, already putting this as yet another complication appearing as a result of the War being different.

" _Sorry to tell you otherwise._ "

This left his somewhat speechless... and in thought. If Berserker has an ability that could reflect or redirect projectiles, this will definitely put him at a disadvantage. There is also the question of how powerful that ability was. If it was that powerful... it would be a good assumption that the backlash would be just as great should he use any of his 'special' arrows... but what if he shot multiple arrows?

With that thought in mind, he leaped to another building.

* * *

"He... that arrow..." muttered Luvia in disbelief. Shirou and Rin were in a similar state, though the Tohsaka was a little more composed than he was.

"This is bad," summed up Rider as the two other Servants continued their clash, "Luvia, I think you really have to let me join in."

"No, I'm not about to let up now," spoke the dark haired girl grimly as she reached inside her coat, "I think..."

"Rin, I think we should put our 'differences' away for a while," said the blonde, much to the other magus' surprise, "I can admit, this Berserker is quite strong. But to think he has a skill or Noble Phantasm that forces the Mad Enhancement to be like this... we have to work together to take this one down." Turning to her own Servant, she ordered, "Go."

"Heh, hope she knows how to work together," he said while sending a grateful smile to her, "Saber that is..."

The black rod frosted over once more, this time gaining a large axe head on one end and a smaller but still sizable blade on the other. Leaping high up, he brought the icy construct down, the axe head clashing with the dual blades sent his way.

"What are you doing?" growled Saber at the interruption. Rider landed and immediately got up close, although he was also forced to block and parry the flaming chained blades.

"You do know teamwork, right?" he asked as loud as he could, while taking a chance to swing. Berserker leaped over his slash and swing the chains down on him. "If his skills are anything to go by, we have to work together to take him down," he reasoned, dashing forward and swinging the axe up.

"While I dislike your jumping in without declaring your intentions, your help is welcome," she replied in return, quickly running forward to intercept the Mad Servant. The enraged one was able to block the ice blade and able to land on his feet, the earth cracking underfoot as he landed. She ramped up her onslaught with a flurry of slashes, a rare moment of defense that Berserker had to turn to.

"Archer! Now!"

Hearing Rin yell out her command, Saber held back her next slash. It took a second or two before the arrows reached them. That was all that was needed. With a roar, the enraged Servant slammed the ground with his blades.

Shields.

Multiple shields, all with an upside down 'V' emblazoned on the front, appeared over and around him. They fell and clattered together until they formed a protecting cover all around him. The glowing red arrows fell, all accurately on the top most shield. It held, even with the following explosion that occurred after. Saber and Rider then immediately leaped back as spears were suddenly thrust out right before the shields broke formation and disappeared.

"Are you kidding me!?" the Tohsaka all but shouted in frustration. The blonde also felt the same, only she didn't voice it out. The boy, however, was thunderstruck by the apparent counters to Archer's every attack.

"Woah, boy!" shouted Rider as he stuck his weapon into the ground just as Berserker swung his blade to come from opposite sides. With somehow able to push himself into the air from that act, he let go, his right hand rearing back to punch. "Got ya!" he yelled as he punched down just as gravity brought him very close to the Mad Servant's head. As if by reaction, Berserker raised his right arm and the armor glowed again. He bent back, as if cushioning against the punch, and then let loose with a loud roar. Rider let off a grunt of pain after feeling the redirected power, but the Mad Servant was not finished yet.

Berserker leaped up after the still airborne Rider and threw out his blades, impaling him in the stomach. He drew them back and kicked the Servant off the blades towards the ground. With another swing of the chains, he slammed the fiery weapons onto the grounded Servant.

"Rider!" his Master yelled out of concern, as Berserker turned towards the other Servant. Said Servant narrowed her eyes as she glanced to the side, noting the nearby graveyard. She then leaped out of the way, the flaming blades slamming the ground, where she once stood. She made haste, leaping up the side of the hill, heading straight to another strategic area.

"After her, Berserker," Illya ordered calmly, just as the Mad Servant ran after her, placing his swords on his back. She then followed in his wake, walking calmly without a care in the world.

Rin watched her go. Calmly as she could, she turned around and pointed to the boy. "Emiya, go home. There's nothing you can do here." Turning to Luvia, she said, "When you're done with Rider, send him after them. Then... I truly dislike saying this, take Emiya home. Keep him safe. That's the least you could do." With that said, she hurried after the Einzbern girl.

Shirou fell to his knees, deep in thought. Luvia hurried over to her Servant, who was slowly picking himself up, his abdomen bloodied and arm looking a little bent. The healing was instant.

"Uh... that guy really hits hard," Rider muttered as he gingerly moved his arm.

"Damn it, I couldn't do anything!"

"Shirou..." she muttered as she looked over to him.

"Kid, you saw what he could do," said Rider as he got to his feet, "Still, a bit more careful fighting, I'm sure we can beat him back after I back up Saber there." Faint sounds of fighting as well as a few plumes of smoke came from the graveyard, as if to punctuate his statement.

"I promised..." the boy muttered.

"Hmm?"

"... that I would fight with her!" he yelled as he got to his feet and chased after the others.

"Shirou! No!" she shouted after, but to no avail as he kept running.

"Well, he's got spirit. I give him that," her Servant commented with a grin.

"Oh, shut up," she grumbled as she went after him.

* * *

"Even the gravestones couldn't stop him," she muttered, gritting her teeth as she dashed backward. After heading off towards the graveyard, she turned on him and lunged. Her attack parried aside, she then began the dance of swords, making sure to stay relentless as to make sure he doesn't get out of range. Unfortunately, the Mad Servant somehow was able to catch on and did something unexpected. Tossing a blade further off into the ground, he was able to maneuver out of her range and began bombarding her with long range slashes once more.

The situation frustrated her. He is skilled, she acknowledged that. However, not being able to get near him to actually cross swords with him... it was most vexing. Not to mention he is constantly on the attack; while she was skilled enough herself at dodging and blocking, not being able to counterattack began to irk her. All because of his chained blades. Their reach and their flexibility of use made him a rather fearsome foe.

"Perhaps, I should lure him in further," she mused, another plan forming behind her brow. Dodging another slash aimed for her head, she turned and retreated to the forested area. She heard him roar and then the sound of feet crashing against the ground as he chased after her. Pausing for a second to look grimly at the Servant, she quickly headed to her next battleground.

* * *

Luvia ran, her reinforced body covering a good amount of ground before reaching a largish clearing that was sparsely populated by trees. Just in time to witness a bird familiar transform into a sword and destroy the glowing, emerald shield that was protecting the Tohsaka.

"You may have fended off Zelle, but you won't be able to block Degen," Illyasviel told the girl calmly, just as her other familiar transformed as well, "I thought this was going to be fun. How dis..."

No way she was going to defeat her rival. Only she could do that. She lifted her hand and pointed at the sword shaped familiar.

"Gandr!"

The glowing orb vaporized the white construct in an instant.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you so soon, Luvia," the white haired girl said, still keeping her calm, "I thought you would have ran away already."

"As if I would!" she retorted, "Your Berserker is too dangerous to leave alone. It is best that we took care of it first if I am to have a chance at this War."

"Hn... of course the idiot had to say that," Rin muttered under her breath.

"Please, as if I'd let you have the chance," the Einzbern stated as she pulled out another two strands of hair, immediately transforming them into two more bird familiars, "Looks like I just have to work harder to..." She never got to finish when she was interrupted by one of her birds suddenly exploding. She looked to her feet, where a single thing was out of place. A dart.

"Berserker! To my side!" she shouted as the second familiar got destroyed in a similar manner; odd markings appeared on her face, suddenly glowing red. This shocked the other two Masters, somehow able to tell what they were.

With a roar, the Mad Servant materialized behind her and threw out his blades. They became lodged into a tree, at which the Servant pulled himself up. From the same tree, a shadowy figure leaped away and landed a few meters away from the black haired magus. Rin and Luvia both recognized his black skull mask instantly. Before they could say anything, the Mad Servant had already landed and began attacking him. Assassin was able to deflect the first few blows with a sword he unfolded, but another swing clipped his head and he was sent crashing into a tree with a powerful kick.

"I wonder," she said as the skull masked Servant struggled to get up, "What was your Master thinking when he ordered you to attack me first?"

"Not even Assassin could..." said the twin-tailed magus, finally coming out of her shocked state, choosing to glare at the Einzbern instead of dwelling on her losing odds.

"Of course. There was no way he could win either," stated Illya, as if it was as plain as day, "Forgive me for saying his name, Berserker... I can confidently say my Servant is the most powerful one here, surpassing even Hercules. He could even slay gods... hmm, I wonder if Saber was taken cared off yet..."

"Ladies, I think you better stay back," Rider said as he materialized with his ice blade ready, while the Mad Servant took a step towards them, "This is gonna get really ugly."

"Berserker, you can go back to killing Saber now," ordered the Einzbern, much to everyone's surprise.

Roaring, the Servant immediately ran to where Saber last was. Soon the clash of steel echoed through the sparse forest; it sounded remarkably close. Deciding not to waste her breath on them, the white haired girl walked in her Servant's direction.

Rider let out a sigh of relief. "You alright there?" he asked Assassin, who was walking over to them while clutching his stomach.

"Hmph, I've had worse... much worse," the Servant uttered out.

"Enough talking, we had better follow after Illya," Luvia requested, taking charge, "Rider, you go on ahead to help Saber. We'll be right behind."

"Got it," he said as he dematerialized to give chase.

Assassin watched him leave before turning to them. "I suppose I shall follow after. You won't have to worry about me attacking you... for now at least," he told them. Getting nods, he dematerialized as well.

* * *

Despite what was perceived as difficulty, Berserker easily adapted to the wooded area. In fact, he seemed to be just as good as before. Still, she was the more mobile of the two and thus several exchanges were made in the air, although it was dubious as to who had superiority. Deftly slashing then sidestepping the return stab, she leaped back and charged in again, drawing in her blade from the opposite side. Most of the exchanges became like this, but their positioning mobile, with the Mad Servant suddenly dashing in, sending one of the blades into the ground to pull himself forward in an attempt to catch her off guard, but it rarely ever worked.

And then, he suddenly disappeared. She blinked her eyes for a moment but she was wary; with Berserker disappearing like that, it meant that he was summoned away. Truth be told, it somewhat worried her; someone must have been threatening enough to warrant his recall. Most likely because of the other Masters... or even an Assassin class Servant. Deciding to traverse the forest, she made her way through in careful order as not to be caught unaware. Such actions did pay off in the end. She could sense him coming nearer, his boiling rage coming nearer and nearer.

From out of the shadows, a blade flew at her head; she dodged to the side, and let it fly past. It embedded itself on to a tree and Berserker pulled himself into her view. He pulled out the blade and charged at her with sudden speed. Several exchanges were put forth before he suddenly slammed the ground, the fissure that appeared spewing out harsh fires. This forced her back and she grit her teeth. She could tell that somehow, Berserker was trying to force her back to the graveyard where he had the advantage. She must do her best to keep him here, on even ground. She must.

* * *

The trail of destruction snaked through the graveyard, culminating in a circular area next to the forest. Wrecked headstones and huge gashes in the ground littered the trail, scarring the otherwise peaceful place. The area at the forest boundary was much worse. It was totally devoid of grass; everything was burnt to the ground. Headstones were obliterated. Earthen grooves scarred the ground, some of them even had smashed coffins, the bones of its occupants sticking out of them like some petrified weed. The whole area was filled with a horrible, burnt smell.

Four players appeared from all sides. Shirou now walked slowly up the trail, shocked by the destruction that was left behind. At a nearby elevated ridge that overlooked the area, Rin and Luvia ran up to it, overawed by the destruction. And a bit further down the ridge, Illya.

Suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the clearing and a large cloud of dust surged out of the forest. Saber flew out, twisting around in the air and landing on her feet, immediately charging at her attacker. Chained blades swung out to the left and right, clashing against her invisible blade before Berserker burst out of the settling cloud, the blades flying and slamming into the ground with a gush of fire. And all movement stopped, both combatants glaring at each other.

"Yo, Saber, need some backup?" Rider asked as he suddenly appeared to her right, weapon at the ready while glancing over to her.

"I would not turn down any help at this point," she said, keeping her eyes on her opponent, her breathing slightly labored.

Then, Archer appeared to her left, his stance relaxed and his weapons in his hands. The black and white seemed to gleam in the night air. Wordlessly, he set his eyes on Berserker as well, who seemed to be slowly picking up a red glow.

"Well, looks like everyone is here," Rider muttered, loud enough for the three of them to hear, "I guess I'll go up... woah!"

Berserker did not wait. Swiftly he threw out his blades; the jagged edge hooked onto the icy weapon and he pulled himself towards his enemy. He leaned back and threw his head forward, brow smashing against brow. Rider flinched and loosened his grip on the weapon. Stowing his weapons on his back, the Mad Servant grabbed the ice weapon and swung, the narrow end of the weapon smashing against the black clad Servant in the head. One Servant stunned, he quickly switched his grip and swung the big end at Saber, the ice shattering to pieces against her guard and sending her backward with her armored boots leaving deep grooves in the earth. Tossing away the metal bar that was left, he grabbed the blades off his back and before he was able to do anything, clashed blades with Archer. With a roar, Berserker threw him off and smashed the ground; the fissure sent him flying. The enraged Servant leaped after him, throwing his blades at him; impaling his stomach, he pulled the red clad Servant close and kneed him off them before landing.

With a cry of her own, Saber charged, her sword held trailing by her side. The Mad Servant leaped back just as she neared and swung, the chained blades coming from opposite sides. The jagged edge was able to indent the armor, but did not break through it. Saber swung again just as he pulled himself near. He ducked under, just as the blades fell away and into his grasp. He then drove those same blades upwards into her stomach, perforating her armor and drawing much blood. Still in shock, she did not register as Berserker tore them out; the act that caused her to loosen her guard and allowed him time to swing downwards onto her shoulders, the jagged blades biting through her armor like it was paper.

"Saber!" the boy shouted, but to no avail as he was frozen in shock, rooted to the ground he stood on.

Berserker wrenched them loose and kicked Saber in the chest. He did not put much power into it, for she fell only a few meters away. Yet, he made not move after that, as if awaiting his Master's orders.

"Edelfelt! I thought I told you to get him home!" shouted Rin as she grabbed Luvia by the arm and forced the blonde to face her.

"Shirou ran off before I could restrain him, you idiotic witch!" the former retorted while tearing away her arm from her rival's grip.

Saber slowly, yet surely, was able to move and get to her feet. She paused to catch her breath, leaning against her invisible sword as temporary support.

"Saber may have been the strongest class," said Illya with an angelic smile, interrupting the yelling match that was about to occur, "But now I find it sorely lacking." Said Servant was still able to glare at her as she continued, "It does not matter now. End her, Berserker."

The Servant of the Sword quickly turned her gaze to the Mad Servant and had only enough time to bring up her sword to block a downward strike. She grit her teeth as she pushed against the blade with all her might, fully knowing he had another blade ready to gut her. Indeed, she tried her best to protect her Master, but it wasn't enough. While feeling disappointed that she may not be able to win this time, she was at least able to find dignity in her defeat, knowing she did her best.

"Saber!" Shirou shouted, suddenly galvanized by the situation. He broke into a run, heading straight towards them.

"Emiya! Get back, you idiot!" Rin shouted as she started down the ridge.

"Shirou! No!" yelled Luvia, following her rival's path down.

"Stop!" shouted his Servant, desperately trying to throw off the blade that was holding her down.

"Huh?" uttered Illya, surprised by his actions.

Rider felt helpless as he watched, still recovering. He was able to get to his knees, but he was still in a daze and was not fast enough.

Archer did not show anything on his face, but inwardly hoping that the boy would die a quick death for his idiocy.

Assassin materialized and Blinked in an attempt to catch the boy. He failed, his hand grasping air.

The second blade moved.

It found flesh.

Rending... tearing...

"SHIROU!"


	7. Sunday

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

The boy looked down. The sword had impaled through, pinning him against something. It felt cold; he could feel the cold air filling in the empty space that was opened up to it. Then, it was pulled out, the jagged edge tearing him a bit more before exiting.

"SHIROU!" shouted Saber as he collapsed against her. She lowered herself down, carefully cradling him in her arms, unable to believe what he had just done.

The others stared, unmoving, paralyzed in shocked silence. All except Berserker, whose gaze looked down unfeelingly at the unconscious boy.

"Enough... Berserker," said Illya, finally breaking the silence. She hopped down the lower ridge and walked past everyone; the Mad Servant returned the blades to his back, the chains magically detaching, his aura of rage slowly dying down as the seconds ticked by. She stopped for a moment to glance behind her. "Why are all of you so boring? Please do better when I kill you next time," she mock scolded them, her voice playful, as if undisturbed by what she had just witnessed. "Bye bye," she said as she turned around and walked off, her Servant walking behind her for a moment before fading out of sight, presumably shifting to spirit form.

Slowly, the other two Masters stepped slowly towards the downed boy, as if hoping that it wasn't true. Hoping that the wound was not that terrible, even though in reality the knew it was. And yet, much to their surprise, they found the horrendous wound was slowly closing up. Saber mirrored their amazement as she looked up to them. Their silence continued as Rider and Archer gingerly walked up to them, Assassin coming up behind them.

"Well, that's a first," Rider said, breaking the silence as the wound finally sealed itself up, "Who would've known he could do that?"

"I know one thing. I'm quite relieved he is out of harm's way... for now at least," said Luvia, that feeling of distress fading away from her face.

"If you would have secured him in the first place, none of this would have happened," Rin verbally jabbed her, inwardly also feeling relief.

"Oh shut up, you idiot Tohsaka. I already told you he ran off before I could!" the blonde retorted, half shouting at her rival.

"If you two are quite done, we should transport him to his house for the sake of his recovery," said Assassin, immediately drawing everyone to the main point.

"Fine. I don't suppose you can help me carry him, Edelfelt?" asked the black haired magus as she knelt down next to the boy.

"... Of course I can help. What do you take me for, Rin?" the blonde said a little reluctantly, following suit. She didn't really want to help her... but then again, this is Shirou they are helping. Saber then turned him over to them and got to her feet.

"You know, I'm surprised you decided to show up, Assassin," Rider said as the Servant's watched as the two girls picked up the boy and putting his arms over their shoulders. Saber turned to look at the Servant with the black skull mask.

"Like I said earlier, my Master has some interest in the boy... it is on my Master's orders to make sure he stays alive," he explained, if only just to put Saber at ease, "I will not harm the boy, Saber. That is all I can tell you." His words placated her somewhat, but she did not let down her guard.

"We should go. They are already leaving," informed Archer, inwardly feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the new development. All he could do now is just to wait for a more opportune time and hopefully able to take the advantage and strike quickly, however slim it may be.

Of course, the fact that they had to transport this guy back to his house did not stop the two girls from hissing out jabs to each other.

* * *

"Welcome back, Tamin."

The small weasel squealed in reply as it scampered over to Caster, grabbing at her fingers. She smiled and dropped a small strip of raw meat, at which it caught and gulped it down in a flash. It then scampered over to stare at the stern looking man seated opposite her.

"What have you discovered?" Kuzuki asked as he watched the familiar scamper between both of them a few times before grabbing at her fingers again.

"That the War may not be as easy as I had thought," she said with a slight tinge of boredom she let the little weasel amuse itself, scampering around the table. It calmed her down, seeing it behave that way. "Still, it could be worse," she then said after a moment of watching, "To the very least, I am better able to prepare a suitable welcome should I ever need to face them."

"Hmm, if you do not require my presence any longer, then I shall take my leave," he said as he stood up and bowed before leaving the room, closing the sliding doors.

She pause a moment before saying, "Alright, Tamin, you had your fun. Time to go." The weasel looked at her and squealed again before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

* * *

"Well, that took a lot out of them," commented Rider, looking over the two girls. After having carried the boy all the way back to the house... after having cleaned and bandaged the wound... after having put him to bed... they sat in the living room, their heads on the table, both fast asleep.

Archer said nothing; he merely sat on the roof, keeping lookout.

"I, for one, am grateful for the help," said Saber. She had dismissed her armor, revealing an ordinary blue dress. However, Rin had told her that it would stand out too much as such a style was out of place and said that she would produce a more suitable substitute for her to wear when morning comes.

"Then I must inform you that I must depart when the sun rises," informed Assassin, looking at the other two, "I will have to inform my Master of the night's developments."

"That's fine. I'm sure we can handle it without you around," assured the Servant of the Mount with a grin.

"I have no doubt about that," the skull faced Servant stated as he turned to look outside, "With four Servants under the same roof, for now at least, the other Servants will find it very hard to attack this place."

And everything fell back to silence.

* * *

_Power...  
_

He tossed to the left.

_... requires..._

He tossed to the right.

_... sacrifice..._

He bolted upright, drawing in a sharp breath. His breathing became hurried and rapid, and then became slower the calmer he became. He had been hearing voices in his dreams, whisperings of greatness and promises of power. At first, he thought it was just that. Dreams. But continuously getting the same dreams over the span of two weeks? It cannot be a coincidence. It also made him think quite a bit. Should he listen to the voices? Should he say yes? Such things could greatly benefit his family... and he need not rely on his sister's help. He can make it on his own. He could show the secret side of the world that his family's name can once more... no, not that far. Perhaps once he refined this new power to his own needs, he would. If he chose to seek the one that promises such things. With this thought in mind, he rose from his bed and prepared for the morning.

Downstairs, he met his sister who was just about to leave.

"Ah, good morning, nii-san," greeted Sakura before opening the door, "I will be getting Fujimura-sensei before going to school with her. I will see you there.

Shinji watched her close the door. He closed his eyes and frowned. He disliked this. His sister was to be the Matou Head. She was willing to give that to him after winning the War. But he was a man; a young one, but still a man. He should be the Head. He did not need her help. He will strike out on his own and restore the family name. Opening his eyes, he made his decision.

* * *

"Well, it definitely suits you, Saber," said Rin as the Servant stepped into the living room, now dressed in a white shirt, blue skirt and a blue ribbon round her collar. The girl herself was seated at the table, slowly sipping on tea she had prepared for herself.

"You have my thanks, Rin," she thanked the twin tailed magus, looking satisfied with the clothes, "With this, I can at least stay near Shirou without arousing suspicion." Yet, noticing that she seemed a little distracted, the Servant asked, "What troubles you, Rin?"

"... it's Noel. She never said when and where she wants to meet everyone," she said after a thoughtful pause.

"Noel? You mean... the previous Archer?" asked Saber.

"Yes," she affirmed without hesitation. Focusing on Saber, she then queried, "What could she know that may put the War into question?"

Saber was silent, inwardly mulling over what she knew from that time. "Maybe it was Caster," she suggested. When asked about it, she explained, "It was something Caster said before he met his demise. Something about change requiring his death... I know not what he speaks off, but everyone assumed that with his death, whatever he was trying to accomplish died with him. Perhaps... Noel... discovered something. Something important enough that requires our utmost attention."

"... Maybe. Still, we may never find out unless she shows up," Rin said after some thought.

"Do not worry yourself, Rin," the Servant told her, "Eventually, she will come." After a pause, she continued, "If you do not mind, I shall acquaint myself with the house."

The girl nodded absentmindedly as the Servant took her leave, still pondering over her words. The Caster of the Fourth War, huh... Eventually, she concluded, "Too many questions and far too few answers. I do hope she shows up soon."

"Eh, what are you doing here?"

She looked up and much to her surprise, though her face didn't show too much of it, Shirou was standing in the doorway.

"Oh, good morning, Emiya-kun," she greeted calmly, "I hope you don't mind. I let myself in without your permission."

Wordlessly, he came in and took a seat at the table, still having that puzzled look on his face.

"Why are you here?" he asked after a moment.

"Before I answer that, I would like an apology... well, you owe me and Edelfelt this, but I would like mine first," she told him with a straight face.

His puzzlement intensified; he stared at her for a moment before lifting his shirt a bit, revealing his bandaged torso. Letting it go, he then scratched his head a moment before his eyes went wide. "... how... how did I survive that?"

"Oh, so you do remember," she said with a huff, "Please think back on that stupid thing you did last night."

"What? But I couldn't think of anything else to do," he quickly protested, "I mean, if you look at the results, yes it was stupid. But I was going to pull her out of the way, not get in the way. So, no, I didn't do anything wrong."

She sighed and moved to rub her forehead a bit. "Have you forgotten what we told you? That Saber will disappear if you die?" she asked, truly wondering if he had already forgotten that fact.

"Good morning... eh, Shirou, you're awake?" asked Luvia as she suddenly came in, shocking the young man once more. She quickly sat down at the table and asked him with a polite smile, "Well, how are you today?"

Rin sighed again and said, "Great, now she's here... alright, since we are both present, please do what you have to do and get it over with." _I rather not be here in the same room with her right now_.

With that the smile melted away. "Oh, hmm... I see... you're right, Rin," she repeated after a moment of thought, and then she looked straight at him, "You should apologize. You made us worry the entire night."

Shirou's face was filled with surprise and understanding. "Ah... oh... erm... I'm sorry? And... thank you for helping me out," he apologized gratefully as he bowed his head to both of them.

Silence filled the room for that moment, until Rin spoke up again, "I guess I can accept that."

"I can actually agree with that," echoed Luvia, a bit begrudgingly for agreeing with her rival.

"Now that the matter has been settled, let us move on to something else," the Tohsaka announced, taking charge of the discussion.

"What else exactly?" asked the Edelfelt, "Unless you intend to bring up what you said last night... before the altercation with Berserker."

"It is," the former told her, "While I don't know fully what Ar... Noel... Mackenzie-san intends to tell us, she needs to tell as many of the Masters she could meet. So far the number is only at three, four if we can get Assassin's Master to join us. Miss Einzbern probably wouldn't join us... not after last night... so that leaves Caster and Lancer."

"Indeed, so far those two are still a mystery to us," added the latter, "As of yet, we haven't been able to glean any information about them."

"Umm, about Lancer..." started Shirou, looking a little unsure as he raised his hand. With both girls now looking at him, he said, "Ah, Lancer was the one that attacked me... and... she was a little weird..."

"Oh, right, Lancer attacked you, didn't she," stated Rin, suddenly remembering the reason she rushed over here in the first place the previous night, "Wait, she?"

"Er, yeah. She... well, the armor she wore gave off that impression," explained the boy haltingly, trying to remember the specifics of last night's encounter with that Servant, "She was fully armored, and... and her spear sounded like it was humming or something..."

"A humming spear? Fully armored? That doesn't sound like anything I know," muttered Luvia as she tapped her chin with her finger in thought, "Must be some obscure legend of sorts. But to be able to be summoned, she must have done something of significance..."

"Even so... I think we should put her down as hostile for the moment, until we at least know who her Master is," said the Tohsaka magus, giving her word for caution.

The other two nodded in agreement. It was then another voice interjected.

"Shirou?" sounded Saber as she stepped into view.

"...Oh, Saber," replied Shirou, at first surprised and awed for a moment when he laid eyes on her, but then becoming happy and relieved at her presence, "You've recovered."

"It may seem so, but..." she stopped talking after noticing the other two that were still present, not wanting to let her status be known to the other Master's. "Shirou, I must have a word with you," she finally said, "Please, come with me."

"Ah... sure," he said in surprise. Turning back to the other two, he said before bowing slightly, "Please, excuse me for a moment."

"Hn, I was going to bring up Berserker next, but I suppose it could wait," muttered Rin.

"Oh, let Shirou and Saber have their time. We could continue later," replied Luvia, in a somewhat happy mood.

" _I suppose she's right... Later then..._ " she mulled over before deciding to go back home. She had a few things to pick up.

* * *

Lancer was perplexed. Meditation... Divining the future... she had never experienced doing such things under... relatively peaceful circumstances. The Warp here still churned, but it was not as harsh as her time was. Then again, it was most likely due to the lesser psychic imprint that these old Mon-Keigh had. Not that it bothered her much. The Warp being... less perilous... did not sway her from her caution. But it wasn't this that puzzled her so. No, her conundrum was of a different kind.

"It is most disturbing," she would mutter as she retrieved her runes and returned them to their case., "It should not be possible in these times. In this battleground, no less. And yet, here it exists."

It told her of the presence of Chaos.

When it had taken hold, she could not tell. But it is here. It may be weak now, but if it should use this so called War to its benefit, the consequence may be disastrous. So far, it seemed to be resistant to her scrying, but she has to maintain her persistence. For this world will fall if she did not and Chaos will have gained a foothold in the Materium. And as much as she disdained these Mon-Keigh, falling to corruption is something she will not wish on anyone or anything.

* * *

The sound of cooking came from the kitchen as Shirou busied himself with dinner preparations. Meanwhile, Saber and Rin were seated at the table.

"Are your plans from now on determined, Rin?" asked the Servant first, putting a stop to the silence between them.

"No... I believe all my plans have to be put on hold," the twin tailed magus admitted after a pause, "I believe we discussed such things earlier."

"That was not what I had meant," the former refuted, "I meant of our alliance. Shirou, you and Luvia."

She stared at her for a moment before muttering, "Of course she would do this behind my back..." Focusing back on Saber, she continued, "I suppose Luvia said something of the sort this afternoon?"

"Indeed. It was just before she left the house," Saber informed her.

"... An alliance is not out of the question, considering that Berserker and Illyasviel are after us," she said after a pause, "I was going to propose it myself after having settled my house beforehand. We will have to discuss the terms before finalizing it... when all parties are present, of course."

"Of course," agreed Saber.

She then tilted her head and tapped her chin with her finger in thought. "Still... no matter what the outcome, we have to prepare for when Berserker and Illyasviel seek us out," she stated, "I could have Archer keep watch on the roof. And this house has a Boundary Field that detects intruders, so our defenses are perfect. Although... I have no idea how Rider could contribute." Then, she frowned, "Looks like I will be asking Edelfelt... ugh..."

"Erm, Tohsaka, I didn't know how much to prepare as I only had enough for three, so..." Shirou informed them as he set down a large tray filled with food that he had prepared.

Rin blinked in puzzlement for a moment and then said, "Are you worried about her? Don't. She probably has a fleet of servants and chefs and what not at her beck and call, so I shouldn't be too concerned about her dinner if I were you."

"Uh, sure..." he muttered while looking at her strangely, returning to the kitchen for the rest of the dishes.

* * *

Shinji walked through the streets at a slow pace. He had just finished dinner and so was wandering aimlessly... or so it would seem to anyone who spared a glance at him. He was seeking something, yet he didn't know what it was. The voices from his dreams were vague at some times and spouted off unintelligible nonsense at other times.

"Stupid voices," he grumbled under his breath, "What is the point of searching when I have no idea where or what to look for... perhaps, this is just something futile and dreams are just dreams." And then he stopped.

He did not know how far he had walked, but it seemed like he had veered way off the more frequented streets for this one. To his left... was the central park. The center of the conflagration ten years ago. People steered away from this area, leaving it empty and unused. The houses nearest to this place were also abandoned, the former complaining of odd sounds and haunting lights. There were many local rumors of ghosts and spirits that led to gaining the reputation of a haunted park. The more rational ones talked about a small group of homeless taking up residence in the park. Police tried to follow up on that but to no avail, as there never seemed to be any indication of people living there, homeless or otherwise.

" _I never noticed where I was going until now... Was I directed here_?" he wondered, unable to decided whether to go in or not. The choice was made for him.

A rather untidy and dirty man suddenly brushed past him. He started to shout and raise his hand against that idiotic beggar when that person turned around. Shinji froze in his tracks when he fell under the glassy gaze. His eyes... they had a tint of purple or red in them. The man sluggishly motioned him to follow and then continued to trudge forward into the dark woods. He could only stare for a moment more before breaking out of his stupor and following suit.

* * *

Dinner was a rather subdued affair. Shirou seemed a little uncomfortable with the presence of the other two, Rin a lot more than Saber. With the latter making sounds of approval every time she took a bite, the former seemed to be smirking to herself as she ate. And when they were almost done...

"My... you seem quite slow, Rin," chided Luvia as she threw open the door to the living room, the sliding door clicking to the side as it stopped. Her entrance pretty much startled the young man, coming very close to choking.

"Ugh... -gulp- will you stop that? We're still eating here, Edelfelt," the Tohsaka retorted after hastily swallowing her morsel. She glared at the enemy magus, now dressed in a long blue dress that looked beautifully made. White gloves and socks completed her outfit.

"Ah... my apologies," the newcomer haltingly said, only looking sorry after noticing the redheaded young man nearby.

"Rin, since she is now present, we should finish dinner," stated Saber, looking over to her as she paused eating, "We can then discuss the terms of our alliance."

* * *

Bazett ran through the deserted streets. " _Damn it, Lancer, why won't you tell me anything_?" she grumbled inwardly. It happened again. Her Servant suddenly leaving the house without warning or notice. She had grabbed her things and ran out of the manor, only pausing to lock up. She could still sense her Servant, but she was quick, moving out of range of her senses. It was only nearing the brightly lit part of town that she seemed to slow down. The Enforcer slowed down as well, in order not to attract attention to herself. Once again, that perplexing feeling arose within her.

" _Why do I have this feeling that things are getting out of my control_?" she wondered as she traced her Servants steps to a mysteriously dark, wooded park, " _It shouldn't be like this, I'm the Master here_. _Why doesn't she listen_?"

She quickly made her way inside, in search of Lancer.

* * *

Dinner was finished quickly. The discussion was even more brief. Luvia did agree on having Archer taking post on the roof. And then she added, "Still, I doubt we could do anything if Berserker should show up." Getting nods from all round, she then suggested, "So, if he does, Rider can help to distract him while we flee to safety."

"Eh? Is he alright with this?" asked Shirou with concern.

"He has no problem with it," assured the Edelfelt heiress.

"You should not worry about him, Emiya. The Rider class are known to have powerful mounts that become their Noble Phantasms," added the Tohsaka heiress.

"Right, let us move on to the next issue," proposed Luvia, "Where will we be living for the days ahead?" Gesturing to herself, "I, have already picked out a room. After this, you had better pick one for your own." She smirked, much to the annoyance of the latter.

The twin tailed magus would have snapped a retort had it not been for the doorbell. Everyone turned to the direction of the front door.

"Uhm... I guess I'll go answer it," said the redhead as he got to his feet, "I wonder who would be here..."

"Maybe it's Mackenzie-san," suggested Rin, who was feeling curious, a feeling mirrored by Luvia.

The young man quickly made his way to the front door, the other two following after him to sate their curiosity.

"Eh! Sakura?" exclaimed Shirou.

"Good evening, Senpai," the violet haired girl greeted as she closed the door. Taking off her shoes and placing them in the rack, she stopped when she noticed the other two standing around the corner. "Ah... Tohsaka-senpai, Edelfelt-senpai... wh-what are you doing here?" she asked, acting confused.

Before he could reply, Rin said, "Luvia and I are staying here for the time being." With the other two looking surprised and shocked, she informed, "It was decided today, after Assassin left. I don't suppose you have any problems with it, Sakura?" The girl in question just gaped at her while slowly shaking her head.

Silence.

"What!?" growled the blonde as she glared at her rival, "You... knew... all this time?"

"Sakura...?" muttered Shirou in disbelief.

"S-s-senpai... y-you don't hate me... do you?" the Matou nervously stammered, suddenly remembering who was standing right in front of her. She brought her arms close to her chest, her hands inching nearer to her lips.

"No!" replied the young man, holding on to her shoulders and staring straight at her, "Sakura, I may not fully understand what I got myself into, but I won't hate you just because you are a magus. You are still you, Sakura."

Rin was surprised by this turn of events, while Luvia felt a tinge of jealousy. Shirou and Sakura finally realized the position they were in and quickly separated, both parties blushing lightly.

"Ah..."

The Tohsaka heiress smirked as she sounded a little. She then faux whispered to Luvia, "Edelfelt, I think we should also introduce ourselves to the 'Second Owner' of this house."

"Have you taken leave of your senses, Rin?" asked the blonde rival in puzzlement and annoyance.

"... oh, you mean Sakura?" spoke up the redhead as the meaning suddenly dawned on him.

"Senpai?" squeaked Sakura at his words, suddenly feeling a sense of dread coming from her former sister's smile. Her blushing increased to cover her face.

"No, it does make sense," continued the young man, unaware of the violet haired girl's reaction, "You have been coming over so often to help me that you are like family. Therefore... you could also share ownership of the house with me... ah, I guess I really should have asked you first before letting them stay..."

"That's right," agreed Rin. Turning to the Matou heiress, she said as she bowed slightly, "Our apologies for not announcing ourselves to you. Please take care of us." Luvia copied her, mumbling her words in reluctance, her glare still sent at the Tohsaka. Sakura just stood there blushing, unsure of how to react to her teasing.

"Now that we have done away with the pleasantries, let us continue our discussion," the twin tailed magus announced before heading back to the living room. The Edelfelt heiress followed soon after, leaving the other two behind. The violet haired Master sneaked a glance at the redhead before going after the girls.

Shirou just stood there, wondering what just happened to make his friend blush so much before trailing them. It wasn't him, was it? Suddenly, he could hear Sakura cry out, "NII-SAN!" His walk became a run.


	8. Back To School

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

Shinji tentatively followed after the beggar, still having lingering doubts that this was real. And yet, the thought of gaining the power to bring up his family's name... he continued to follow the off putting man. They went all the way to the center of the wooded area of the park. Of course, this sparked a slight nervousness and brought back renewed doubts. What if it was another magus that lured him here?

" _To be honest_ ," he told himself, " _Not very likely._ " The Matou have been in decline for many years now. Why would anyone remember it? This, in turn, refreshed his resolved to see his family's prestige rise to power once again. It was then he realized the beggar had stopped. It was as if he was frozen in place. Shinji also realized something odd as well; the absence of familiar insect sounds. It was silent... still... it felt unnatural...

Without warning, the dirty man in front of him let out a shrill cry and arced back, his head snapping backward and strange purple and red lights suddenly exploded in front of the body. He watched as the man fell forward; he then became stunned with horror as the body, clothes and all, suddenly began rapidly decaying before his very eyes. The ground rippled, the dust seeping and swirling into the dirt until it was no more. He took a few gingerly steps forward when the ripples stopped.

" _What... what was that._.." he thought, a multitude of emotions racing through him. And then he froze. He watched with morbid curiosity as a book slowly rose out of the earth, the ground behaving unnaturally like water around it. It began to ascend into the air, stopping only at chest height. It looked quite disgusting with its skin-like cover. He reached out and touched it. He recoiled in alarm when it did feel like human skin, " _Who... what... made this_?"

It suddenly flipped open and he began to feel confusion being mixed in. Why were the pages blank? To his fright, black lines suddenly appeared on it to form words.

_Finally_ , it read, _I have found my Master_...

What?

"Master? Me?" Shinji sputtered out, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

_Yes... out of all that resides in this city, you are the most suitable to wield me_.

"Why me?" he questioned it.

_You responded_. _I have seen your dreams. Your wishes. Your innermost desires. They shall come true_.

"Truly?" he sounded, unable to believe what he was reading. This... book, was telling him that he could succeed? But how... he still did not know how it was made, but if it could truly give him power... this... was what he had been looking for.

_Yes, Master. Take me and I shall demonstrate to you_.

It then closed and pushed itself against him. A bit too hard, as he fell over backward. At the same time, he heard a strange humming sound and for a second, he thought something had flashed by above him... where his head was.

"Leave the book, Mon-keigh," a voice suddenly ordered him, the cold duality somehow frightening him to the core, "It was not made by material hands. It must be destroyed before it brings any harm to this world."

Shinji sat up and gaped. It was clad in dark armor. Streamlined. Beautiful. Unnatural. Black as night. White as the snow. Blue glowing runes decorated its protection. The faint humming sound came from the weapon, a long white spear with gemmed decorations. A weapon now pointed at him. His pulse raced and he looked around him to plot his escape. This was no ordinary person. He could somehow feel it.

"Foolish Mon-keigh!" it said as it suddenly surged forward, "If you covet this power so, then you shall perish with it!"

He shrieked. He couldn't move; his body froze in fright, his arms gripping the ghoulish book tightly, his eyes widening as the spear moved as if in slow motion. Closer. closer.

The harsh sound of metal striking metal rang through his ears. The point was turned aside by another blade as it suddenly appeared. Still frozen, his head turned ever so slightly to the side to see a coated man stepping in front of him. A vaguely familiar one. And yet, he looked different. The Servant was wearing his mask. A mask shaped into a human skull. A jet black human skull.

"I think it is best you leave now, my Master's brother," Assassin told him, standing calmly in front of him as he kept his eyes trained on the enemy Servant. The young man nodded rapidly as he clumsily tried to get away.

"No! It must be destroyed!"

As he slowly picked up speed, he glanced back. The unknown Servant had dashed to the side, attempting to get around the foster sister's Servant. Another glance showed him how it succeeded, but her Servant able to keep up by flitting in and out of the shadows. He kept running, able to see the clearing beyond. A third glance spurned him to run even faster; the sight of the spear suddenly soaring through the air, aimed straight at him, sent terror racing through his body. And for the second time, clashing metal echoed through the stillness of the dark forest. Turning for another brief look, he saw Assassin in his immediate wake; the spear sailing through the air, neatly landing into its owner's hands as it moved swiftly through the woods seemingly unhindered by anything in its path.

Bursting out past the treeline, Shinji slowed down to halt, his tiredness catching up with him. He turned round and walked backward very slowly, his ragged breath forming mist in front of his mouth, his chest heaving as to draw in more air. A black flash later, Assassin stood in front of him, his blade ready to react. The enemy Servant ran out seconds later, his eyes catching on the fading glow of white on its feet. His heart began to race again. How much longer can he endure before he could no longer run? Where was the fairness in that?

Suddenly, he could feel the book begin to tremble. Surprised, he did not say or do anything as the book suddenly flew up and hovered in front of him. It flipped open. And all he knew after that was pink and red.

* * *

The flash of bright lights faded away, leaving the two Servants at the edge of the clearing. Slowly, the armored Lancer lifted her spear and pointed it to him. "You do not know what you have done, Mon-keigh spirit," she declared with certainty.

"What I have done..." he rebutted calmly, "... is my duty. My Master asked me to look out for him... no, ordered me, to look out for him. And so I did."

With a flick of her wrist, she brought her weapon back down to her side. "You have doomed this world, " she told him with conviction as she faded to spirit form in her departure.

* * *

Heavy steps moved with haste through the halls, the owner of those feet sliding to a halt at the entrance to the living room. Shirou came upon Sakura leaning against the tatami door, on the floor and in shock. Rin was kneeling in front of her, looking concerned while Luvia looked on in curiosity. Saber was still seated, not truly reacting to what had happened before her.

"Sakura? What happened?" he asked quickly as he knelt next to her. He got a shaking head as a reply.

"It... it's alright, Senpai," she haltingly assured him, "I... no, everything is fine. Nii-san was able to get away... I think... it was Lancer."

"Huh? Now why would Lancer chase after him?" asked the Tohsaka aloud, "He isn't a Master or anything noteworthy."

"He... he had this strange book with him," she said as she tried to recall what she saw through her Servant's eyes, "It was... well, she attacked him for it... like she wanted to destroy it?"

"That certainly is odd," quipped the Edelfelt, "Perhaps he stumbled upon a grimoire of sorts? However, why would anyone hide a grimoire here of all places?"

"Uh... well, at least Shinji is safe," the red head finally said after his confusion on the topic. Then, everyone heard the doorbell ring again. "I... I'll answer that. Please excuse me."

"Well, enough talking about your brother," the twin tailed magus said once Shirou was gone, "Come, we should settle down and continue our discussion."

"Quite," agreed the blonde with narrowed eyes while taking her place at the table, "You seem to be quite friendly with her, Rin."

"Huh, so what if I am, Edelfelt?" the former retorted with a smirk, "Representatives from the founding families have to stick together when faced with outsiders coming to compete for the Grail after all."

"Ah, hello... Saber," greeted the violet haired girl as she seated herself opposite the Servant, "My name is Matou Sakura... er, Assassin's Master."

"You have my gratitude, Sakura," the Servant of the Sword stated, "My thanks for not attacking my Master on sight."

"What? No, no, no, no, no," she protested in shock, "I would never do anything to hurt Senpai."

"I see," the Servant mused calmly, "Then I would apologize if my words troubled you so."

"Still straight to the point, Saber."

Everyone turned to the hall. Shirou stood behind the former Archer, now known as Noel Mackenzie. The officer walked over and sat herself at the table, drawing curious and wary looks. The silence was kept up even when the young red head took his seat at the table.

"So, what was so important that you asked me to gather as many of the Masters I know of?" asked Rin, ending the silence.

"The Grail is tainted," the former Servant said, calmly holding up her right hand, "I know all of you have many questions, but please hear me out." Getting no reply but everyone's full attention, she continued, "Saber, remember what Caster said? That some sort of change required his death?" Getting a tense nod from the referred Servant, she explained, "I believe he placed a curse upon himself, a curse that came to full power after dying. I think it was that curse that tainted the Grail. I think... that was what your Master saw, what Emiya's father saw. I think that's why he commanded you to do what you did. And... I think I saw it too. I saw my darkest memories brought to life, brought back to torture me..."

"Do you mean to stop the War under this pretense?" questioned Luvia with a frown, seemingly unconvinced, "You do know that some of us have many things that relies on winning the War."

"I know that. I know that both Masters and Servants have their own wishes riding on winning," Noel stated calmly, showing her understanding of the situation, "But... I don't think anyone here would risk damning ourselves just for one wish."

"What if there was a way to remove the curse..."

"You've never seen the full extent of Caster's power," the officer interrupted the Tohsaka's question, "I know you remember meeting him, right? That was just what a fraction of what he has. He can do more than that... much more. Saber and I have seen it ourselves. A curse of this effect would be easy for him."

A fist slammed lightly against the table, drawing all eyes onto Shirou's Servant. "To think... all this time... I have been casting blame on your father, Shirou," she muttered, her stern face looking down at the table, "All this time, it was Caster... that fiend..."

"Huh? What does this have to do with my dad?" asked the red head, forehead slightly creasing in puzzlement.

"Your father tried to destroy the Grail and failed," Noel informed them, everyone having shocked looks on their faces, "He failed, and the Grail struck back."

"So... the fire..."

"Yes," she replied to Sakura, "It was the tainted Grail's fault." Silence fell, everyone trying to process the stunning revelation. Shirou was especially hard hit by this fact, looking down to his clenching hands. The violet haired girl could only watch, wanting so much to comfort him but didn't want to be seen as impolite. The other two magi were thoughtful, sporting minor frowns on their faces.

"Odd... that Fake Priest didn't mention this sort of thing," Rin muttered under her breath.

"Fake Priest?" asked the blonde officer.

"You don't know?" asked the puzzled girl, her eyes going slightly wide in curiosity, "I thought you knew. Father had Kirei Kotomine become my guardian in his passing. He is also currently the mediator of the War."

The former Servant froze. Such an action did not go unnoticed; Saber also had a similar reaction, but decided not to voice it out. It was a matter she could deal with later. Noel had no such restrictions.

"I see..." she said with her brow furrowed, eyes closed in thought. Opening them, she continued, "Well, I do hope you take my warning to heart. I have to search for three more pairs to warn. Until then, stay safe." She then rose from her seated position and excused herself. The current occupants watched as she left.

"I find her reaction odd," Luvia first spoke up after the former Servant had left, "She looked like she wanted to say something but didn't."

"Hmph, I suppose I'll try and worm it out of her later," stated Rin after some thought. Then she said, "Right, what about living accommodations?"

"Ah... I can help you choose a room, Rin-senpai," said Sakura as she raised her hand, "Well, before I go home..."

"Ah, thank you, Sakura," the twin tailed magus giving her a grateful smile. Then, turning to Shirou, "Now, what about Saber?"

"Eh?"

"Even though we know Assassin wouldn't harm you, a Servant must always stay close to their Master for the Master's protection," she lectured him, her right hand pointed up in emphasis while her left cradled her right arm, "Thus, it would be best if she stayed close to you at all times, even when you rest."

"Wh-what? Wait, she can't stay with me in my room," protested the young man hurriedly, "It wouldn't be right."

"But it is for your safety, Shirou," rebutted Luvia.

"But..." he started to say again, but his weak protests fell under the expectant gazes of the others. "I... Saber... she can stay in the room next to mine," he finally said, flushing as he looked away.

"Right. Let's leave these two alone and you can show me around the outside rooms, Sakura," declared Rin as she stood up.

"But... I don't see any of your luggage, Rin-senpai," stated the violet haired girl as she followed after.

"Oh, don't worry about that," the former said with a smirk, "I have someone all ready to bring them to me when I tell him to."

* * *

She dashed through the air, guns in hand. She leaped from house to house. She flew through the air and raced atop the bridge. Noel had only one destination in mind. And she was troubled.

" _Should I have told her_?" she wondered. That thought seeped through her mind intermittently as she traversed speedily through the city. While she felt that Rin had to know about it, she was... afraid of how the young Tohsaka would react.

" _Magus or not, she would want revenge over his betrayal_ ," she mused further as she came up to the road leading up to the church. She landed and continued running, having run out of stepping stone buildings. " _Even though she deserves to know_ ," she continued as she came up to the religious building, " _His death is also on my hands. After all these years, it's time to redeem myself_."

She slowed down to a walk and slowly reached for the door, pushing it open gently. The church seemed deserted; it was only lit by moonlight through the large open windows by the sides. Cautiously, she walked up to the aisle towards the altar. After a few feet, she stopped.

"Kotomine!" she shouted, "I know you're here. Show yourself!"

"You are quite bold to come here yourself, Archer."

She spun quickly spun around. There he was, standing in the doorway. He had changed quite a bit since they last met. He grew out his hair, which had darkened, and his skin had become lighter... paler even. He was slightly taller and now wore a cassock over his priestly attire. Frowning, she aimed Bolverk at him.

He chuckled darkly and said sneeringly, "So, you've come to avenge your Master. Quite a long time for you to hold a grudge. Had you not the courage to do it quickly? Or have you been enjoying your life at his expense?"

A shot rang out. Bolverk's barrels smoked. The priest was unharmed, his left arm raised up, three blades between his fingers. "How dare you say that..." she muttered aloud, her anger slowly simmering, "You have no idea what I've been through."

"Hmph, even if such things do not truly matter to me," the priest said with a faint smirk, his arm coming back to his side but bringing out more blades in his right, "I know very well what you have been through. I must be aware of all my enemies, after all."

Noel gave him a venomous glare. A second later she leaped at him, rolling mid air to aim and shoot him. He dashed back and counter charged, slashing in front of him as she landed. Leaping backward, she yelled, "Chamber Shot!" The dual revolvers morphed into a shotgun. The blast itself was blocked, all six blades held in front of the priest in an X formation. Not letting up, she let of a few shots with the reverted revolvers and advanced, throwing out her left one. It spun like a saw blade, grinding against the priest's makeshift shield before it stopped. It landed perfectly in her hand and she pulled the trigger.

"Optic Barrel!"

The shot sent him skidding back a few feet. He stopped guarding and threw all six blades at her; at the same time, he rushed forward with his fists at the ready. Six well placed shots scattered the blades. She leaped over him.

"Revolver Blast!"

She landed facing the exit. She knew all four shots connected. She breathed in deep and let it out as she stood up. The traitor is...

"Was that all?"

Her eyes widened. It felt as if her heart had skipped a beat. There was no way. Even if he had been wearing some sort of protection beneath his clothes, surely the shot to the head would have killed him instantly. She spun around, unable to believe that he was still...

He was still alive. He was still standing, looking at her with mocking eyes. And yet, she also noticed a dark substance slowly retreating back behind his head. She then took a step back when she also saw four dark and shadowy snakes with bright red eyes rising above him. Those four heads then charged at her just as he adjusted his cassock. She quickly dashed backward, putting a little more distance between them before she started shooting. Bursting outside, she began her a furious dance.

The first one she leaped overhead, the shots killing it instantly. The second she sidestepped just as she landed and aimed to the ground, a large spike of energy shooting up and splitting it down the middle.

"Fenrir!"

The third was pumped full of lead.

"Nemesis Stabilizer!"

The fourth tried attacking from above. Its head exploded into a fine black mist which quickly dissipated.

She was breathing hard. She fought to get it under control. She focused her attention to the priest, who had just stepped outside. "How..."

"Oh? I suppose I can answer that one," the priest stated with a serene smile that held dark meanings. He pressed a hand against his chest and replied, "This? It was a helpful tool given freely to me by the Grail. Just as your life has been given to you."

"You..." she growled at him. " _A gift from the Grail_? _Does this mean he has Assassin's powers_?" she wondered in horror. And then she became shocked when a large shadow suddenly reached out from the ground and engulfed her whole.

The large dragon's head snapped shut. The priest smiled and stated, "May God have mercy on your soul."

The head suddenly exploded, much to his surprise. As the dust slowly settled, it revealed a rather wrecked courtyard. The former Servant nowhere to be seen.

The priest frowned and muttered, "It seems you have given me some extra work to do, Archer."

* * *

The door opened and shut. Heavy breaths could be heard taken in. A thud on the door and the sound of rustling fabric sliding over wood. A subdued metallic clang on the concrete floor of the small walkway.

Slowly, Noel got up and tiredly dragged her feet to the toilet. She had a feeling it was going to hurt like hell. After using Thor to escape the attack, she ran all the way home to the Mackenzie house, now her place. The two old folks died a peaceful death a few years ago and most of everything they had, she got, including the house and its contents. All other monetary assets went to their son back in Canada. Everything had progressed without a hitch and now she had the house to herself.

The toilet door was pushed open and she now leaned against the semi tiled wall.

"Bolverk... Deactivate."

Her guns faded away, gone in wisps of blue dust. She slid down to the tiled floor, tiredness flooding her body in waves. Then, she felt a churning in her stomach. Quickly pushing herself over to the toilet bowl, she hurled out whatever was left inside. It only lasted a few seconds. Breathing heavily, she noted that pain had started accompanying the tiredness. She sighed. She was no stranger to pain. That said, she was much tougher when Bolverk was active. But, right now, she has to do all she can to minimize power consumption.

" _Still, there is ten years worth of savings still available for me_ ," she mused as she grimaced at another wave of pain as she dragged herself to her feet, " _They are better used for future battles_."

She grit her teeth and trudged to her bed, thanking her lucky stars she had applied for leave in advance.

* * *

She rang the doorbell and began unlocking the door while humming a tune. She entered. She closed the door. She exchanged shoes for indoor slippers.

"Oh, good morning."

Sakura looked up to find Luvia standing before her, looking all ready to leave the house.

"Good morning, Luvia-senpai," she returned the greeting politely, "Why are you leaving so soon? Breakfast hasn't been prepared yet."

"There's no need for that," the blonde explained, "I am just returning to my house for a quick meal before leaving for school, as I have always done. It will be interesting though, to see if Rin comes to school on time now that she is staying here."

As if on cue, the girl in question plodded around the corner, looking quite out of it. She paused to glance at them and muttered, "... too early for this..." before heading inside the bathroom.

"... I have a feeling I will be reaching there first," said the latter, the former returning her stare. Soon after, there was a knock on the door. "Ah, that must be the driver," she exclaimed with a smile. Turning to Sakura, she told her, "You know... you may have a head start, but I will win him over."

"Eh?" sounded the violet haired girl, looking shocked. Deep down, she understood what the blonde was talking about.

"Don't give me that look. I know you understand," Luvia stated with a sense of superiority, "Just as I will triumph over Rin, I will triumph over you as well." She then left the house, only pausing to say, "Goodbye," on the way out.

She stared at the ground with a frown, her hands clenched by her side. Then, she looked up, her face determined. She headed straight to the living room and into the currently unmanned kitchen, with a promise she made to herself.

" _I... I will not lose..._ "

* * *

"Don't you think you were a bit harsh on her?" chided Rider as he leaned back on the sofa.

"Certainly not," she retorted as she spread butter on her croissant, "All is fair in love and war, is it not? Besides, I thought it was only right to let her know I will be competing."

He let out a sigh, looked to the ceiling and said, "Che, not like I can do anything to make you do otherwise." Turning back to her after a moment, he asked, "Right, on to other stuff. Mind giving me a loan?"

"... Excuse me?" she questioned just as she was about to take a sip of her tea, "Why in the world would you ask for money?"

"Well... I don't know... I'd like to have a look around in the day time... you know, see the sights," he tried to explain, "Sure, scouting at night is fine, but I'd like to think I could do a lot more than that in the daytime. And yeah, the money is for blending in... food and all."

"... I suppose it wouldn't hurt," she muttered as she mulled over his suggestion, "It may prove to be useful down the line... I'll let my butler know. You may ask him for the money."

"Thanks," he said with a grin.

* * *

"Please, have a seat, Rin. Breakfast will be ready soon," announced Sakura as she busied herself with the finishing touches. She commandeered the kitchen after having persuaded Shirou to go and clean up after noticing he was not in his uniform.

"Sakura, you know I don't usually eat breakfast," her former sister replied, yet still seating herself at the table.

"... but breakfast is the most important meal of the day," she said in surprise, placing the pot of cooked rice near the table, "And... we can eat as a family for once..."

"... Fine... I suppose I would like to try your cooking," the twin tailed magus relented.

The violet haired girl just smiled. Then, the owner of the house stepped into the room.

"Ah, sorry to bother you with the cooking, Sakura," the red head said as he seated himself.

"Ah, please don't worry about it, Senpai. This is my job," she assured him as she served him a bowl of rice," Here you go, Senpai." She then prepared another bowl and handed it to the other girl, "Here you are, Rin-senpai." Getting a muttered thanks, she proceeded to serve the other dishes before serving herself some rice.

"Come to think of it, this is quite a wonderful setting," commented Rin with a sudden, sly smile, "You make a good wife, Sakura." This brought out a rather crimson blush.

"Tohsaka, please stop teasing our kouhai," he told her with a stern look, bringing out a demure smile from the Matou.

"Hai, hai, I'll just eat breakfast then," she said with a smirk as she picked up her chopsticks.

Silence fell, with only the clicking of chopsticks present while they ate their breakfast. And then, Shirou suddenly stopped, his forehead creasing.

"Senpai? Um, was the fish seasoned too strongly?" asked Sakura, noticing his actions.

"No, it's fine," he assured her, still thinking hard, "But... I feel like I'm forgetting something..." He set his bowl and chopsticks down and crossed his arms over his chest. Everyone else stopped eating and looked at him in puzzlement. "Oh well, it probably wasn't that important," he concluded. Just as he was about to pick up his eating utensils...

"Morning! Man, I slept in."

Taiga Fujimura came in with loud footsteps. Shirou suppressed a sigh.

"Shirou. Food," she said as she sits down in her usual place at the table.

"Good morning, Fujimura-sensei," greeted both girls politely.

"Here you go, Sensei," continued Sakura as she handed the bowl of rice to the teacher with a smile, "It's not much but please have some."

She quietly takes the bowl and starts to eat, her brow furrowing ever so slightly as she ate. Everyone else continued their meal in silence as well. "Hey, Shirou. Why is Tohsaka-san here?" she whispered to the boy after finishing her first bowl.

"That's because she is staying here now," he whispered back as he picked up another piece of fish. However, the whispers were somewhat loud enough for the other two girls to hear.

"Oh, I see. Tohsaka-san sure does some strange things," the teacher surmised as she continued eating. The two girls glanced at each other, and as if in silent agreement, quietly set down the bowls and chopsticks.

"Yeah, she's weird. She's very different outside school," he affirmed, not aware of the hole he was digging himself into. Rin slowly inched away to the side. Sakura moved slightly backward in her seat.

"I see... so she's staying here, huh?" mulled Taiga as she too slowly set her bowl and chopsticks down on the table. Slowly, her hands moved and gripped the underside of the table. And suddenly...

**"** WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'STAYING HERE', SHIROU!? **"**

**Commentary:-**

**(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻**

**Taiga strikes again! The most epic of table flips!**


	9. In Search Of Answers

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

Rider didn't know what to make of this. His day started off fine; after getting the money from Luvia's butler, he took a trip to the other side of the town via bus. Most of his morning he spent exploring the more modern side of Fuyuki. He had hoped that he would be able to find a Master or two on his walkabout but it seemed that it was just wishful thinking on is part. He even went ahead and bought something at a random store as to not look like he was wandering around aimlessly. It was a little white, rectangular thing which played music. It was alright... could be better. And then, of all people he had to come across, was her.

"What's wrong?" Illya asked, her bright red eyes staring at him with fake innocence as she licked her triple scoop ice cream of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.

He shook his head. Him stumbling across her was unexpected to say the least. If anything, he would have at least bump into Lancer's or Caster's Master, but it had to be her. She recognized him too and she had demanded he accompany her around. He had a feeling that she had no qualms sending Berserker after him, not to mention the Servant in question was following after her in spirit form. So, he did as she asked, if only to tell her later on of the new information that was revealed the previous night. And who knows, maybe she could come to a truce. Though, there was still the question of her relation with the young guy that Luvia seemed intent of reeling in.

He just leaned back on the bench, quietly waiting for her to finish her cone. Admittedly, the scene was sort of nice; the mini park next to the river was serene and peaceful at this time of day. The moment he heard the crunch of the wafer as she began eating the cone, he decided to speak up.

"Luvia discovered something important last night," he casually mentioned, watching her carefully as she was finishing her treat.

"...I don't really care what your Master found out," she replied in a similar manner, with a bit more playfulness to it, "I got what I wanted. You should be glad that it isn't time yet." She got off the bench and began brushing her clothes down, clearing off any stray crumbs.

"The Grail is cursed."

She froze. Very slowly, she turned around to face him. Gone was the playfulness and sweet looking face. It was now full of seriousness and cold looking. Something he would have come to expect from a magus.

"There was a survivor or two from the previous War," he said as he eyed her warily, the little girl slowly seating herself once more, "We met Archer. She said she suspected Caster did something to the Grail. Luvia has some doubts, but Saber seems to vouch for her." Then he muttered to himself, "Wonder how Saber knows her though..."

Whether Illya heard that or not, she didn't show. She sat there stony faced, digesting the information she had just gotten. "What would you have me do with this... information?" she asked carefully.

"I don't know. I was hoping... maybe a truce of sorts?" he suggested as he shrugged, "Archer doesn't seem to be like the lying type. Maybe you could hold of attacking any of us until we sort this out?"

"No."

"Hmm?" Rider hummed in surprise. He half expected some sort of cautious or mature decision. Then again... her family sent a kid, of all things, to represent them. Who knows what sort of people they are?

"I was told that letting all of you survive was a mistake," she said to him coldly, "I am starting to see the wisdom of that advice. Whether you tell the truth or not doesn't matter. I will have words with my... Onii-chan..." The last word was pronounced rather venomously. She got up, turned to him and suddenly smiled, "Thank you for the ice cream, mister."

With that, she skipped on her way, seemingly without a care in the world.

A sigh escaping from his lips, he ran his hand through his hair. Without a doubt, it was a little unnerving to see that. And then he groaned, "Damn, I hope I didn't make this worse."

* * *

Homeroom period has ended. The other students began leaving their classrooms, either for after school activities or heading straight for home. Shirou had already packed away his stuff and was leaving the near empty classroom, intending to head to the student council room to ask Issei if he needed his help with anything.

"Senpai."

Much to his surprise, Sakura was waiting for him outside the class. "Oh? Sakura?" he sounded, looking puzzled, "Is there something wrong?"

"Um... Senpai, please go straight home," she requested after a pause.

"Eh?" he uttered, his eyes widening a bit.

"You know the situation we are in, Senpai," she told him, a little bit of worry seeping in her voice, "While Officer Mackenzie-san had told us things before-hand, there are three others who don't know yet. And... I... worry... I mean, the others could act and you might not even know until it's too late... and..."

"But... I thought ," he replied, his face softening in understanding, "You worry about me since Saber... couldn't exactly follow me around and defend me..."

"And... they might find out Saber's identity from you."

He shook his head and said, "She never told me who she was. Since I'm not a really good at 'that', she didn't tell me for our safety."

"Still..." she said, looking downcast.

He stared at her for a moment, feeling slightly uncomfortable at making her like this. "If my safety means that much, then I'll go home early today," he relented.

She gave him a relieved smile. "Thank you, Senpai," she said gratefully, and then informed, "Tohsaka-senpai and I will be back later on. She offered to do the cooking today."

"Oh... alright, I'll see you then," he nodded, a little curious as to why she offered to do it today. He waited a moment, watching her turn around and go round the corner to the stairs. They never did discuss what everyone would do around the house. Then again, Luvia was never around during meal times, presumably eating at her own house. That left the cooking to the other three. It does make sense in a way.

" _I guess Tohsaka planned that out beforehand without telling me_ ," he thought to himself as he started moving again. He did say that he would go straight home after all.

His journey back home was uneventful, yet when he tried to open the front door, he found it locked. It took him a moment to remember that Sakura had gone off with Rin. "Must still be shopping for ingredients," he mused to himself as he unlocked it, "Still, it's been a while since I came home this early."

"Hello, Emiya."

That slightly jovial and familiar but arrogant tone startled him a seconds, but turning around, his eyes widened in surprise. "Shinji?" he said in surprise.

The blue haired boy chuckled and replied, "Yes, Emiya. It's me." He was dressed in his uniform. Oddly enough, Shirou never bumped into him at school today. He had many questions. He must have had a questioning look on his face, since his friend held up his hands to placate him.

"Calm down, Emiya," Shinji told him, "Even though I have all the answers to your questions, you still need to breathe to ask them."

The red head took a deep breath, as his friend suggested. Then, he asked, "What happened to you?"

"Something extremely good, Emiya," he started with a smirk, "I am learning things that I would have never learned had I not found that book. Oh yes, Emiya, so much that I think my sister's skill as a magus can compare. Yes, Emiya, I know you know." In spite of Shirou's shocked face, the Matou male continued, "Do not worry, I'm quite fine with that. After all, you are a Master too. Yes, I know that as well, together with many other things. For instance, did you know there is a Master and Servant living at the temple, right under Ryuudou's nose? And that the Servant is responsible for the series of deaths happening to the yakuza lately? The poor, poor boy and his family doesn't even know how dangerous it is." He shook his head, "A pity if something should happen to them."

"Wh-what?" the red head muttered in shock.

"Oh, you didn't know yet? Perhaps Tohsaka, my sister and that Edelfelt should have searched more actively instead of getting worked up over Berserker," he said arrogantly with a sneering smirk. Pausing to look at the evening sky, he said, "Well, it seems time is passing us. I must go. There is much to do and much to learn. Goodbye, Emiya."

He watched his friend walk down the lane and round the corner, moving out of his sight. He felt quite troubled with this new bit of information. Issei's family unknowingly hosting a Master? It sounded unbelievable. But... if Shinji was telling the truth...

"Tonight," he muttered to himself as he closed the door, "I will go and make sure tonight."

"I shall follow, Master," a voice suddenly said.

Surprised, he spun around and came face to face with Saber. Stunned, he just stared at her in surprise.

"Master?" she asked, puzzled with his reaction.

"Oh... it's Saber, right?" he said finally, able to regain his bearings, "Sorry, it was so sudden, I was surprised."

"My apologies if I startled you, Master," she informed me, "I heard the door and came to investigate."

He nodded, understanding her caution. "So... you heard us?" he asked.

"Yes. I also agree in checking this out," she continued, "The more we know of our enemy, the better."

"Then it's settled," the red head decided, "... And maybe let's not involve the others. This is just... scouting." Getting a nod of acknowledgment from his Servant, he asked, "Um... Saber... I thought you'd be sleeping..."

"There is no problem with staying awake..." she began.

* * *

"Rin, I feel worried," Sakura half whispered. They were done with their ingredient run and were on their way back to her Senpai's home. There was quite a bit of food in their plastic bags and at the back of her mind, she wondered what her former sister was going to cook.

"Why? Is it about... our current situation?" asked a puzzled Tohsaka.

"Well... that and... Edelfelt-san," she told her.

"... What did she do now..." grumbled the twin tailed magus with a frown, her mood now soured.

"... She said she wants... Senpai."

Rin halted in her tracks. She turned to face the later, wide eyed. "That girl... said what!?" she stammered in astonishment.

Sakura stopped as well, suddenly finding her shoes interesting as she blushed. "I... It's alright, Rin," she finally said with some determination after a bit of silence, "I... I'm not going to let that get to me. I won't give up."

Rin gave her an encouraging smile, fully understanding what she meant, and said, "Come, let's get back to Emiya's house. We have dinner to prepare."

Giving her a grateful nod, the violet haired girl followed after her.

In the house, they found Shirou chatting with Saber in the living room. "We're home," announced the twin tailed Master.

"Hello, Senpai. I'm glad you took my request to heart," said the violet haired junior with a happy smile.

"I shall retire to my room, Master," Saber informed him before getting up and leaving.

"Ah, Senpai, I'm sorry if it was too sudden. We should have told you earlier," Sakura explained as the other girl went straight to the kitchen, "Rin-senpai said that since she was staying here for the time being for free, she offered to take turns cooking dinner with you. Will you be fine with this, Senpai?"

"Don't worry, Sakura. I'm... actually quite fine with this. At least, she is contributing while she stays here," he told her, still looking a little unsure about it. After a pause, he told her, "I'll be in my room resting. If Fuji-nee comes, tell her to prepare the bath herself once in a while."

"Ah, yes. Please take your time," she responded, "I will let you know when dinner's ready."

* * *

"Sella! Leysritt! I'm home!"

"Welcome home, Miss Illya," greeted one of the maids warmly, "Dinner will be ready soon."

"Alright. I'll be in my room then," she replied quickly, her head tilted down and not looking at her, "Let me know when it's done." She tried to walk quickly up the stairs.

"Is something wrong?" the maid asked, showing a little concern, "Miss Illya. Please tell me what's wrong?"

The little girl stopped. Slowly, she turned around, looking a little worried. "I conversed with Rider earlier," she admitted.

The former made a surprised sound and said, "He found you? In the middle of the day? Surely he wouldn't have..."

"It is of no consequence," the latter told her with conviction, finally meeting her gaze, "I am still confident in Berserker's abilities to eliminate them when the time comes." She then gave her a grin, "Don't worry, Sella. I'm fine."

"... Very well, Miss Illya," the maid replied, her worried look melting away, "I will call you when dinner is ready."

Giving her a nod, Illya hurried up to her room. After closing the door, she threw herself on the bed, staring at the ceiling that was held up by the four posts.

"You did not inform your helpers of the rest?" Berserker asked as he materialized.

"They do not need to know,"she told him, continuing to stare at the top, "They have enough worries of their own to think of this. I do not want to add any more."

"Even if it's a curse?" he questioned further.

"If it was true, then... I have no problem maintaining a truce while we try to produce a solution," as she sat up, "Before that happens, I wish to confront him again."

"Your brother?"

"That boy is not my brother," she protested heatedly, glaring at her Servant, "He took my father away. He is the reason my father is not around. He is the reason my father did not come for me. I will have his head decorating my bedroom before I declare a truce with anyone." She flopped back on the bed, once again staring at the ceiling. "Once you and I have recovered, we shall continue. I will have revenge," she said with a smile.

* * *

"How much longer do you think they will take, Senpai?"asked Sakura.

"I don't know," Shirou admitted as he rubbed his head, "How long have they taken... an hour?

Dinner had come to a halt as earlier, he suddenly brought Saber to the table, introducing her as a friend of his father's. Taiga did not take to kindly to this and blew up on him, as well as interrogating the calm and collected Servant. This somehow led to a spar between the two, which Saber won. One thing led to another and now the three were left seated at the table while the Servant and the supposed guardian of Shirou's conferred in his father's bedroom.

Rin had taken to staring at him, a mix of disapproval and annoyance showing only slightly on her otherwise calm face. One that the red head could see clearly.

"I bet you think I did something stupid," he guessed, directing his statement at her.

"... Isn't it too late to say such things?" she asked in return, "Yes, I disagree with what you did. Stuff like this will only bring you trouble later on. If you are not prepared..." She left it hanging to emphasize her point. Turning to Sakura, she stated, "After this, I'll be resting in my room for a while before going out to scout for the others. Hopefully, there is a chance that we could reason with them... if they could be reasoned with."

The violet haired girl nodded, as if already knowing what to do.

"I guess I'll be staying here then," stated Shirou. Getting slightly surprised looks from the girls, he explained, "I know I'm not the most capable magus. If I go out with you right now, I'll be more of a risk than if I stayed at home."

The twin tailed girl then narrowed her eyes in suspicion, slowly saying, "That... is odd, coming from you, Emiya. I cannot help but to wonder if there is something else behind those words of yours."

"Tohsaka, there is nothing else behind my words," he retorted, "Is it wrong for me to state the truth? I know my limits."

"Oh? I didn't realize you knew," she rebutted, "That's not what I saw a few days ago."

"Senpai. Rin-senpai. Please, stop arguing," pleaded Sakura, looking a little distressed, "Maybe we should talk about other things. And... and what if Fujimura-sensei and Saber are finished? They might catch you arguing and..."

"... Fine. I'll hold my tongue for now," relented Rin, giving the red head a warning glare. She then picked up her cup of tea and swirled it around as she looked into it.

"Alright, I'll stop it," sighed Shirou, also not wanting to let this get out of hand. After a moment, he muttered, "I wonder when will they finish?"

* * *

The night was still. There was no breeze and little moonlight to go by. The school was deserted. Until now.

It started with a dot. A pink... red... ever changing colored dot. The dot became a line. A curved line that connected and became a circle, slowly being filled with mysterious symbols not meant for human eyes. The circle was small, large enough to fit one. A flash of dazzling light and it disappeared. Shinji looked a little sick. He turned to the book to his side, already floating and opened up.

"Does it always feel this way?" he asked weakly, his first time using the Teleport power.

_You will get used to it_ , it read as he took in a few deep breaths to calm his heaving insides.

"... Is everything ready?" he asked after a few moments.

_All is complete, Master. You only need to place them in their proper formation_.

Nodding, he held out his hand to it, "Give them to me... and show me where to put them."

Eight pages flew out the sides. Each one settling into his open hand. Each one containing a burnt, eight pointed star. The book turned a page, a map of the school burnt into both faces. Eight burn marks then appeared on places around the school. Lines were drawn, the points connecting, forming the same star on the pages in Shinji's hand.

The blue haired boy smiled darkly. If he knew how easy it was to gain power... knew of the book... he would have done this a long, long time ago.

"Let us commence," he declared as he walked to the first point, "Time to bring my family's name into the light once more."

* * *

"You know, I have to ask..." spoke up Rider as the both of them walked up the wide path that led to the church, "Why are we here? Didn't... Noel, was it? Didn't she say to not tell the priest?"

"... Rider, there are two things currently on my mind," she told him as she stopped walking. Turning to face him, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and said, "First of all, don't you find it strange that she referred to Saber with such familiarity?"

"...Ye-ah... what are we getting at?" he asked after a moment of thought, "I mean, it does look weird. And I did wonder how Saber knows her and all..."

"Eventually, we will confront her and Shirou. But right now, it is that priest which is our second concern," she told him as she moved a bit to look at the church, "Rin mentioned something that night. That the priest was her senior." Turning her head back to him, she continued, "What if... he knew Tohsaka's plans for the war. The previous War. What if he also took part in them? What if he was one of the Masters as well?"

"That sounds kinda far fetched..."

"I know, I know," she retorted, turning away from him, "That last one did sound ludicrous, didn't it? Still... he would have been privy to his teacher's plans, so it would be very likely that he knew exactly what happened during that War. He may have even witnessed a few of the fights that happened. This, I fully intend to find out for myself." Having said her piece, she went on her way to the church.

Rider shrugged but in his mind, he had this uneasy feeling ever since the church came into view. Something was off with the church. He wanted to let her know but she seemed quite intent on meeting the priest.

"Something tells me that I might need your help, ladies," he muttered to himself as he followed after her. He crossed his arms, his right hand catching a heart-shaped crystal that fell out of his sleeve. Keeping it hidden, he moved to catch up to her.

* * *

Master and Servant walked the empty streets, not a word exchanged between them. At the dead of night, they didn't have to worry about bumping into anyone they knew. Still, Shirou was still a little unsure with the silence between them, still thinking of what Saber said earlier. He was still adamant in his stance that everyone should be at the table, eating together.

" _Even if she isn't used to such things, it still isn't right that she secludes herself away like an outcast_ ," he thought as they reached the bottom of the temple steps.

"It feels strange."

He looked at her, puzzled by her frown. "What feels strange, Saber?" he asked. Perhaps what Shinji said was true? Did Saber sense a Servant?

"... Like there is a hidden power, waiting to be unleashed... waiting to burn everything in its path," she told him cryptically. She looked grimly up the stairs. "Let us go, Master. We have come this far, let us see which Servant has fortified itself here," she stated as she took the first step.

He nodded. It was what they were here for in the first place after all.

* * *

He watched as they continued on their way. He had been trailing them ever since they left the house. It was fortunate that he spotted them leaving when they did. Else, he would have been none the wiser. He sighed and muttered, "It seems they are about to do something that may be out of their league... without back up no less." He shook his head and said, "Truly, what my Master sees in the boy... he means well, but has not the power to do so."

With that, Assassin drew his hand down his face, the black mask appearing to hide it. He walked in after them, hoping nothing will go wrong.


	10. Darkness, Ice and Fire

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

The journey did not take long. Not a word passed between them as they went up the flight of stone. When they finally reached the final step, they paused, taking a careful look of their surroundings. The temple courtyard was bathed in moonlight, looking calm and serene. Not a soul to be seen. But they knew, it only looked so outwardly.

"Be on your guard, Master," warned Saber as she turned round to look at him, "We do not know which Servant has laid claim to this place.

"Saber... is there any way for you to check to see if the monks are alright?" he asked. Now that he thought of it, there was no way they could go in unannounced or unnoticed. If anything, he would be facing many angry people should he get caught 'breaking in and entering' so to say. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

His Servant shook her head. "It seems we are at a disadvantage. I suppose the best course of action would be for me to go in myself and check," she told him as she turned to make her way to the main building.

"My, my, guests at this hour of night? Whatever would people think?"

Startled by the nonchalant voice, the pair turned their attention to the left side of the courtyard. Standing right in the middle was a woman. Her red hair was short but arranged elegantly. Clad in a grey robe; it had black and blue trimmings at the skirting. Gold and white trimmed the shoulders and chest. She had black sash around her waist and a rigid collar going as high as the cheeks on her face.

"What a poor host I must be. Welcome! What may I do for you today?" she said with a smirk as the two took a step towards her, "Or maybe, what can I do to you today?"

"Which Servant are you?" asked Saber as she raised her hands, grasping her hidden sword in front of her.

"Well, you must make a fine guest at parties," she quipped, "But, since you asked, I'm Caster. Nice to meet you, Saber."

The grip on her sword only tightened. Shirou then asked, "Do you intend harm to the people here?"

"Why no, young man. Why would you think that?" she replied, sounding quite surprised, "They would have been quite welcoming of me. It would be bad taste to simply burn them for nothing. I actually quite like them."

"And why are you killing people in the street?" pressed on the red head.

"And what's wrong with killing a few ruffians?" was her reply, quite nonchalantly, "Bullies extorting money from the locals and causing a ruckus? Why wouldn't I get rid of them? Given how nice the locals have been, I don't see why I shouldn't return the favor?"

"But you can't! Surely there is another way..." protested Shirou but he was immediately cut off.

"Another way? Hah!" she laughed at him, but looking at the Servant, "What a naive Master you have, Saber." Looking back at him, she stated, "Making use of the ley line and breaking apart Mystic Codes for power can only do so much for me. With my new Master unable to provide for me, I have to turn to other sources. Now if only there were more bandits and robbers wandering around the countryside..."

"You cannot do this anymore!" he shouted passionately, horrified by what she was saying, "They are people too! They have their own families! Their own lives to live! I cannot allow you to take that away like that."

Caster's lips thinned to a line and her eyes narrowed. "And who are you to lecture me, little man," she said calmly, a bit too calmly, "Who are you to simply order me around? I do not take too kindly to threats. I tend to... burn them away." Looking to her fellow Servant, she asked, "What of you Saber? Surely you can understand the need to..."

"My apologies, Caster, but I have to disagree," interrupted the blue clad Servant, "Yes, I can see why you would need to do so, but as a knight, I swore to protect the people. And so, I cannot allow you to endanger them any longer."

"I see... well then, I'm afraid you will have to die here," she stated before raising her hands and muttering something aloud.

"I won't let you," Saber declared as she immediately charged, already feeling the power in those words. Caster could not do anything as the invisible sword cut her at the waist. Then, laughter echoed through the courtyard, causing the pair to look around in confusion.

"You thought it was that easy?" Caster shouted at them condescendingly, "I am more than prepared for you, Saber!" Suddenly, many more Casters appeared around them, seemingly filling the courtyard. "If you want to try and find me, go ahead. I will be done long before you could ever kill me," they announced gleefully as all the Caster's raised both hands and started chanting.

Shirou froze in place, not knowing what to do. Galvanized by urgency, Saber started slashing.

* * *

The wooden doors swung open with ease. Warily, the pair stepped inside the church. It wasn't as lit like their previous trip. Only a candle illuminated the place, lighting up the altar area, casting numerous shadows all round the pews.

"He doesn't seem to be here," muttered Rider as he looked around. He still felt that something was wrong with the place, but didn't know what.

"The priest is probably at the back somewhere," Luvia replied, her eyes darting to a door off the side, "Let us check there."

"That would not be necessary, Miss Edelfelt."

That one moment, their eyes were looking at the side door, yet the voice came from the altar. Surprisingly enough, the priest was there.

"There wasn't anyone there earlier," the Servant whispered to the blonde, "Where the heck did he come from?"

"Why are you here? Surely you aren't here to give up your rights as a Master, are you?" questioned the priest as he slowly stepped around the holy place, "I thought your family wanted to redeem their honor in this War."

"That is not the reason I am here, Father Kirei," she replied respectfully; it wouldn't do well to get on the mediator's bad side after all, "I am just here to ask a few questions."

"Ah, then I must turn you down. As mediator, I am not allowed to give out the particulars of the other Masters," he told her as he stepped off the raised platform, coming to a halt as he held his hands behind his back.

"That... is not what I meant either," Luvia said with a frown, wondering why he was saying all these things, "First of all, I wish to confirm something. You are the Tohsaka senior apprentice, are you not?"

"... it seems you still remember what she said that other night," the priest stated after a moment of silence, intently gazing at her, "Yes. I am her senior. I was apprenticed to her father many years ago. Why do you ask?"

She decided to go straight to the point. "I wish to ask about the previous War," she declared, "As senior apprentice, I would have assumed that you were privy to your teacher's plans."

"Indeed I was," he confirmed, "It is a bit odd to ask such questions. You make me curious." He then began to smile, just a little. Though slight, it was quite unsettling. Yet she did not let it show, since she was decidedly making progress with the questioning.

"Perhaps, if you do not mind, tell me of Caster from the previous War," she pressed on, but was rewarded with a rather odd answer.

"Caster? You wish to know of Caster?" he repeated.

She nodded; something was beginning to feel off about the priest. The unsettling feeling was increasing. And to her surprise, the man chuckled, as if in mirth. "Do you find my questions amusing, Father Kirei?" she asked, feeling quite tense.

"Yours is a curious case, Miss Edelfelt," the priest said with amusement, "In the dead of night, you come with curious questions. It makes me wonder, where did you hear of such things that make you do this in the first place?"

"Forgive me if I do not tell you, Father," she said, narrowing her eyes, "I am afraid that I am obligated not to tell you..." She trailed off when the priest raised a hand to stop her.

"You do not have to tell me. I believe I know already," the priest replied with a sudden smirk; she took a step back by reaction, "And I'm afraid I have to make sure that you do not leave here at all." Suddenly, a black and misshapen thing emerged from the ground at the foot of the priest. Crackling sounds resounded around them as a multitude of more taller versions of the things suddenly rose up among the pews.

" _We have to retreat_ ," she told Rider, a flood of alarm ringing in her head.

" _I don't think we have enough space to get out_ ," he replied as he stole a glance behind. A number of the things had sprouted out and were in the way of their exit.

"My apologies, Edelfelt and Rider, for your journey ends here," declared the priest serenely, as if speaking to a troubled person, "Goodbye."

The shadows surged forward, almost too fast to follow. She barely heard Rider saying, "Get behind me!" as he flung something at them. There was darkness... then all was white?

* * *

She moved and swung; simple, graceful movements. Not a breath wasted. Not but a single step with each swing. And yet, there seemed to be too many Caster's to cut down. It was like for every one she cut down, two more appeared. Saber grit her teeth and stepped forward again.

A cry of victory was let loose and all the images faded out, leaving a single Servant left on the other side of the courtyard. She had a satisfied smirk on her face as a glowing magic circle seemed to write itself out on the ground.

"Well, it seems you didn't make it, Saber," she gloated proudly as the Servant of the Sword tensed up, ready to charge down on her, "I wonder which elder elemental I pulled out, hmm?"

As the smoke started coalescing and swirling inside, Saber yelled and charged. The smoke began to lose its shape when the Servant struck it and much to her surprise, her invisible sword was fended off, metal clashing with metal. Within the clearing circle was not an elemental, elder or otherwise, but a human. Dirtied light blue hair fell in long locks around his head, some of it tied up in a top knot. He was half naked, wearing blood red pants and woven slippers. The only armor he had were blue colored wrist and shin guards. A long length of chain wrapped around his left guard, the other end connected to a large, triple bladed throwing star.

Everyone was still, the air silent, the presence of the newest addition to the War being processed. "Please tell me where is my elemental?" started Caster with a minor frown, "If not, I'll send you to the Nine Hells myself."

The man shrilled with manic laughter and said, "I... am Servant Avenger." He turned to her and said, "I am here... Master..."

"... attack Saber," she finally ordered after a moment of thought, her smirk once again gracing her face.

More laughter was let loose as he threw his weapon, the thing arching through the air. Saber started to bring up her sword to block when it suddenly disappeared. Her eyes widened before her instincts told her to block from below. She swung in a wide arc and metal clashed with metal as Avenger suddenly burst out of the ground weapon first like a ghost. The Servant frowned, clearing remembering the tricks that Assassin from the previous War put her through. With a yell, she struck back.

* * *

Ice. Solid, white ice. If she wasn't in so much danger, she would have thought it a marvelous sight. She never did see what Rider threw out, but she had to guess that it was only temporary. Then, she noticed the two peculiar beings that floated down towards her Servant. She didn't know what they were or what they were made off. They resembled mechanical constructs... dolls? Puppets perhaps? Was he a hero that first dabbled in their creation? The first time man researched puppets?

"Ha, it's good to see you ladies again," her Servant greeted with a grin, with the puppets replying in tinkling sounds that she could not understand, "But, we have to leave right now. We've only stalled the guy for now." The both of them nodded. Then, a strange thing happened the moment they linked hands. They spun around in the air and began folding into themselves. Parts shifted and transformed inside and outside; the puppets slowly merged into a...

"A motorcycle? This is your mount?" she said in disbelief. Just who was he? Surely motorcycles did not exist during ancient times...

"Stop griping and get on," he said with urgency as he got on, "The ice won't hold for long. Listen."

Sure enough, the slow sound of cracking was starting up around them. This must be the only time that skirts are a minor hindrance, she mused offhandedly as she seated herself behind him, her Servant revving up his ride in preparation.

"Hold on tight... and keep your head down," he advised her. She responded by clinging on tightly to his waist, just as the ice wall shattered and the shadows broke through. That whole time, the noise level of the motorcycle crept higher and higher, signifying the ever increasing power. With a single twitch, the brakes were taken off and the mount went full throttle, instantly tearing through the weak wall of shadow that separated them and the church doors. All that was left behind was a rapidly melting trail of ice.

* * *

Steel rang as Avenger tumbled away, the invisible blade deflected away with a snicker. He went down as close to the ground as possible, throwing out the metal star in front of him, whirling forward like a saw blade.

"Caster is toying with them," muttered Assassin to himself as he remained hidden behind the entrance of the temple.

Saber dodged to her left and swung downwards in a smooth motion. Rather than biting flesh and blood, Avenger's image split into two neat pieces before fading away. She then found herself with a face full of slipper. She stumbled backward, wiping her face with one hand.

" _...I ...I-I think I... have to help_ ," Sakura said after a long silence. Her voice then became resolute, " _Yes, I have to help. If Caster decides to stop playing... yes, I have to go to Senpai_."

The Servant of the Sword shook her head with a growl and narrowed her eyes. His body was twitching constantly as he eyed her through his disheveled hair. He continued to snicker, as if he were taunting her inability to hit him. He shuddered and leaped at her. She swung in a wide arc, looking confident that she would be able to take on the attacks. That would be assuming he wasn't able to gauge the length of her sword. To her surprise, he burst into bits of faint smoke and she saw him leap at her again from the same spot. She narrowed her eyes and charged at his former position, assuming he would repeat the move again. When he didn't appear, she suddenly spun around and blocked the spinning metal star. At the same time, he also burst out of the ground. Taken aback, she could only move a hand in the way. The blade cut through the weaker, leather cover of the gauntlet, drawing blood. With a shriek of glee, Avenger tore his weapon out and went back a few steps, neatly avoiding another attack.

"Very well. How do you want to do this?" Assassin asked, curious as to how she would reach here in time to help. Avenger seemed to have an edge over Saber with his trickery and guile.

"Saber!" Shirou yelled as Saber stumbled backward, still able to maintain her guard even though she held her invisible sword with one hand. He turned to Caster and shouted, "Stop! You've made your point. We'll leave now!"

"Shirou! I can still..." began his Servant's protest but was drowned out by the sound of laughter.

" _Please, don't worry, Assassin_ ," she told him in earnest, " _Since I can guess the area through your sight earlier, half of it is already done. Just... be ready to protect me when I reach there_."

"Me? Stop? When Avenger is assuredly running circles around Saber?" Caster questioned with amusement, "I think not!" And then she smiled eagerly as she held a hand up, "You know, I think it is time for me to teach you a lesson." A small sphere of bright orange appeared in her outstretched hand. "I don't even need to use my specialty to deal with you," she gloated as she pushed her palm forward, aimed at him. The ball streaked straight towards him. He stumbled over backward.

"Shirou!" his Servant shouted as she prepared to intercept, but Avenger stepped in and started slashing wildly. "Out of my way!" she roared in apprehension as she deflected every blow.

Right before his own eyes, Assassin watched as a black circle opened in front of the boy and out shot his Master. He smiled behind his mask as she gestured in front of her, palms facing forward, bringing up a wall of darkness to block the fiery explosion that came from the orange sphere. "Clever girl," he muttered as his folded sword materialized in his hand.

* * *

The riders made their way down the lonely road, up to the last turn, where he stopped. "I think I put enough distance between us," presumed Rider as he waited for Luvia to get off.

"... The Tohsaka use a gem magecraft similar enough to my family's," the blond Master muttered with a frown as she stared back to the general direction of the church, "How did that priest... There is no way anyone could control those... things... with such ease. Something must have happened to him in the previous War."

"Well, this is a real big mess we landed ourselves in," stated Rider, the eidolons vanishing into a faint blue mist as he got off, with a faint glow under his sleeve, "I mean, Archer already told us not to tell him. I guess this is worst case scenario that she expected."

"... I wish you didn't bring that up," she mumbled before letting out a sigh, her shoulders sagging only slightly, "Admittedly, this was a setback. I suppose we can return to Shirou's place for the night and..."

She never got the chance to finish it as Rider suddenly spun around, weapon at the ready, and swung upwards. With a crash, the spear was tossed into the air and much to her surprise, it floated a bit before flying back to its source.

"What?," sounded her Servant in surprise as he spotted their attacker. He called out, guessing the Servant class, "Hey, Lancer! We need to tal-" The other Servant left no time to talk as she dashed forward, leaving Rider to a hasty defense.

Luvia, having ran to the side as to not get in the way, had her own problems. "An enforcer!?" she yelled in surprise as she dodged a flurry of kicks.

"Oh? A kid?" she heard the red head muttering, "Then again, still another magus. At least now, Lancer is finally taking interest in this."

" _Oh? Is that why we haven't seen them since Lancer attacked Shirou_?" the Edelfelt heir thought as she jumped back to avoid the enforcer's attacks, " _Hmm, red hair... Irish accent_... _ah_..."

"Bazett... Bazett Fraga McRemitz," she stated aloud, causing her attacker to pause at her recognition.

"Oh? I'm surprised you would know of me," the Irishwoman said, her hands still up and ready to attack, "Regardless, I intend to win this War and nothing you say can change that."

"Wha? Wait! I wish to..." and Luvia wasn't able to finish when the lower part of the Enforcer's pants suddenly glowed and she found her opponent a bit too close for comfort. She went to ground and rolled to the side. A second to pause and to look behind, the tree that was directly behind her snapped in half.

"Huh, so you wish to ignore my words?" she muttered, her anger slowly rising. Her hand slipped into a hidden pocket and drew out a few gems. Just as Bazett launched herself at her, she shouted as she threw out the precious stones, "Here! Allow me to knock some sense into you!"

The ground shook with the resulting explosion.

* * *

Shirou stared, mouth agape. With Avenger stopping Saber from coming to his aid, he thought he was going to die. He saw his life flash before his eyes; his family, his friends... and then Sakura came out of the ground and put up a black wall between them and Caster's spell. The spell exploded and roared but the flames merely flickered out from the sides of the barrier, showing how sturdy it was. The girl sighed before turning to him.

"Senpai..." she said, giving him a sad look. He wanted to say something, but any words of comfort wouldn't come out. He looked to the side, ashamed of his lie. He did so as to keep her safe, but here she is, protecting him instead.

"Senpai... our talk can wait," she said further as she dropped her hands, the wall dropping in sync, "Right now, we try to survive."

Nodding, he got to his feet as the violet haired girl turned to face Caster. Avenger seemed to have backed off and was now standing next to his Master. Saber walked over to him, still holding up her sword with one hand while keeping the other by her side.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" said the Servant of Magic, her frown marring her face, "Yet another intruder decides to appear. This is starting to get annoying."

"Good evening, Caster," Sakura said politely as she bowed, much to Shirou's and Saber's surprise, "Forgive my senpai and I for entering unannounced. If you would please forgive us and allow us to leave, I would truly appreciate."

"...At least this one has manners," admitted the Servant with a raised brow. After a pause, "Your little trick is a curious thing. Show me more, and maybe I'll be a lot more forgiving."

"Ah, thank yo-"

"Avenger, attack her," ordered Caster, all emotion all gone from her face.

"WHAT!?" shouted the two.

"By your command," the Servant of Vengeance replied before sending his throwing star into the air, the weapon somehow disappearing into a black hole.

"It... it's alright, Senpai," said Sakura, as the weapon appeared behind her, "I came prepared." A burst of darkness behind her saw Assassin deflecting the thrown blades aside as she held her hands out in front, palms facing down.

" **In creation and in death, there is only shadow and darkness**..."

There was a sudden tingling of the senses when she chanted that. Her hands went down. She turned her palms up and her hands rose. In front of her, a dark, thin blob rose out of the ground. Her hands went round to the sides and then went down again. The dark thing expanded and grew, forming a humanoid shape. Its hands were held up as it floated in mid air for a moment before it descended to the ground, landing on its legs. It then stood in an odd stance.

With a shriek, Avenger charged forward. Noiselessly, the shadow puppet mirrored his movements, seemingly gliding across the courtyard effortlessly to meet its opponent.


	11. Dances With Shadows

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

The dulled clink of metal and ice continued as the two Servants fought. One fought more defensively, the other pushed to win.

"Will you-" shouted Rider as he deflected another slash, spinning to send a counter, "- give me-" Quickly raising his guard to block an aerial strike after Lancer jumped over his polearm and after a slight tap on the blade with her foot, she twisted in the air, the momentum making the strike heavier, "-a chance-" Without missing a beat, she spun round the other way and kicked the pole, pushing him back and sending him off his feet. A somersault later, he was back on the ground, still on the defensive, "-to freaking explain!"

Lancer had no reply. The ground under her glowed faintly white before she ran straight at him. Blocking two wide arcing slashes, he blocked another that arced down. " _I know the Lancer class is for fast people but this is ridiculous_!" he shouted mentally, "What the-" Lancer continued with her onslaught, spinning and doing the same downward slash. He could see the diamond hard ice slowly getting chipped away. Was that a crack in the metal base? He couldn't tell. With a yell, he deflected the latest slash and started attacking wildly as he moved forward, hoping to throw her off her game. For a moment, he was able to gain some ground. Then, she began matching him stroke for stroke. Wherever he swung, her spear was there to meet it. As if she knew exactly where it was going to go.

Suddenly, she stepped back and thrust her spear. He easily caught it with the pole. She followed up with a series of jabs, each one without meeting flesh. " _What is she doing now_?" he pondered warily. An upward slash, followed by a downward one. And then he caught it. That minute little hum. She spun and another downward was sent his way. This time, he could hear it a little more clearly. " _The spear point_?" he realized in surprise, " _But what_..." Lancer's pace increased; stab to the left, jab to the right, and another down slash. The hum seemed a little louder now.

"Hmph."

That was all he heard from her as she swung wide. He expected his weapon to still hold, but to think the spear broke through the shaft; the blade traveled unhindered as it went across his chest, cutting his clothes and leaving a clean cut hole. As such, he was still in shock when Lancer kicked him. He crashed into a tree, hunched over and clutching the two pieces of his broken weapon in his hands. "... _Damn... that was close_ ," he muttered, thankful that he hadn't suffered anything serious yet. He straightened up, the tree slowly toppling over behind him. Lancer seemed to take it as her cue to continue attacking.

He threw the two pieces at the charging Servant, one after another. She smashed them aside with her spear. He leaped at her, fist reared back. She stopped and jumped back. He punched the ground; the ground broke, a large spider web of cracks spread out from the impact site, bits of earth and dust going airborne. He got up, careful to keep an eye on her. She didn't seem to be moving. Who knows what her reaction was under that mask...

He ducked down, narrowly avoiding the thrown spear. Thrown spear? " _Is this a trick_?" he wondered, still remembering how the spear returned to her hand, " _Still... a chance_!" He kicked off the ground, knowing she was definitely still in range. His hand reared back, feeling the power he was putting in this punch, hoping to stun her or maybe even knock her out. He had to get Lancer and her Master to at least listen to what they dug up.

She raised a hand and much to his shock, lightning surged out, jumping out of the tips of her fingers and at his whole upper body. He yelled in pain as he descended, crashing to the ground, totally unprepared for this.

* * *

A shadowy hand reached out, the shape becoming thin and streamlined as the shadow puppet swiped in front of it. Avenger backflipped away and threw out his weapon, the throwing star arcing upwards and behind before returning to his hand. He then burst into a puff of smoke just as a lance of black rock tried to impale him. The long shadow fell to pieces as the puppet retracted its hand. It slowly became bulkier, the body gaining a bit more mass; oddly shaped spikes started jutting out its shoulders, its shins, and the sides of its hips.

"Where did you learn such a thing?" asked Saber with narrowed eyes.

"Eh? Saber..."

"I... don't know how to describe him... or it..." stated Sakura calmly as she watched her shadow puppet fight, neatly interrupting Shirou's admonishment, "At least it sounded like a 'he'. He said he was searching for someone to teach and that I was suitable. I... didn't want to learn, at first."

Avenger began swaying. Suddenly, copies of him began breaking off him and circled the puppet. It motioned its arms up in beckoning; streams of darkness spun around it, collecting around its body, arms, and legs, as if forming armor around it. Just in the nick of time.

"He was adamant and very persistent. Eventually, I humored it and did as he asked, since he didn't seem to be reacting violently towards me," she continued, both Shirou and Saber listening intently, "I didn't know that time, but what I learned did protect me in the future."

All the shadows converged on the puppet. It slammed the ground, sending out large thick spikes around it, impaling all but one. All the Avenger copies broke up into smoke while the real one landed on the puppet's head with a hard stomp with both feet. Leaping off its head, he disappeared, only for a dark portal to open underneath it. He came shooting out, weapon brandished.

"After that, I continued to learn out of gratitude. He finished teaching me just before I summoned Assassin," the violet haired magus stated as she turned to face the red head with a smile, "And now, I have a chance to help you, Senpai. With these same skills, no less."

The blades were dragged up through the chest. And yet, it didn't break; instead, it was still able to let loose an uppercut which struck Avenger's body, who tumbled to the ground. It then raised a palm to head level for a second or so, a spiked ball appearing over its shoulder. The ball split into six, each becoming round and spiked, each one zoomed straight at Avenger, one after the other. Taking a short leap forward, it's leg shot out, the shadow suddenly growing out to spear length and striking the shoulder. Stunned, the Servant was unable to stop a shoulder tackle, followed by a stab to the gut. It then stomped the ground twice; each time a large outcropping would strike the Servant from behind and push him back towards it. Another shoulder tackle followed and this time, it struck him in the head with both arms, one after the other. Immediately after, it tackled him again. But this time, it was different; the second its shoulder hit, the shadow suddenly began to peel back and a copy was launched out in a similar position. The original broke away into bits and pieces, with the new puppet striking Avenger. The process continued for four more times. Then, it sunk into the ground, into the shadow. Instantly, five copies of itself were launched upwards one after the other, uppercutting his jaw. The final copy then stopped the counter attack and observed as the Servant crashed to the ground in a daze.

Shirou couldn't believe it. "That thing... beat a Servant?" he muttered in shock. Saber merely looked on, not letting her guard down. Sakura stopped smiling and turned back to the fight, staring intently at Avenger, who slowly got off the ground. He let out a chuckle and ran forward.

The shadow puppet lifted a hand and clenched it; a shadow copy of itself shot up from under the Servant and punched him, but it merely went through the now disappearing copy. Avenger was back in his original position. He ran forward again. A similar thing happened; the shadow kept doing the move and Avenger would continue with his illusions. Several times, the exchange continued when finally when two illusions came up, on after the other. The former charged forward while the latter leaped over. The one on the ground vanished; the one in the air slashed, the blades running from head to chest. Seemingly stunned, the shadow couldn't do anything to fight back while the Servant continued to slash away at it. The onslaught ended when Avenger grabbed it by the throat; the throwing star was dragged across, swiftly cut through it all. The puppet fell backward and shattered to pieces the moment it touched the ground.

"Kagaribi!" the Servant howled in victory.

Shirou took an involuntary step back, tensing up now that the shadow had expired. The others on his side kept their cool and looked to Caster, awaiting her reaction.

"Stand down Avenger, that's enough for now," ordered the Servant with a smirk, clearly impressed with her summon's performance. "I suppose you can leave with your friends. My curiosity is sated for now," she announced to them, earning her a grateful look from the more polite one.

"Thank you, Caster," replied Sakura with a polite bow. Turning around to walk away, she said to the red head, "Senpai, let's go." Assassin faded out as he turned after her. Shirou and Saber followed after, sparing a glance behind them at the duo, knowing fully who were the victors of the little skirmish.

Caster sighed and commanded, "Avenger. Keep yourself invisible at all times. Only reveal yourself if I'm in extreme danger." She then went back into the temple without sparing him a second glance, heading straight for her room.

"I am surprised that you didn't send him to take them out while their guard was down," a voice stated behind her as she slid the doors open.

"So you were watching?" she asked, wondering what insights Kuzuki had to offer as turned around to face him, "I remember you saying that you are a teacher. I thought teachers here cared for their students."

"I may be a teacher, but the job itself has no meaning," he revealed to her, "If you do kill them, to me, that only means they reap the consequences of staying out past the proper time on a school day."

"I see..." she hummed with a better understanding of her Master, "Perhaps I might... but not today. For now, I do not mind letting them live. Still, that annoying little boy. Tell me what you know about him, Master..."

* * *

The smoke billowed to the side as the enforcer shot through the obscuring cloud, taking Luvia by surprise. Still, she was still aware enough to take her on, Reinforcing her body beforehand. Fists, legs, and palms collide as she deftly blocked a few punches and kicks, slowly maneuvering herself into a better position. What she didn't expect was how powerful those punches and kicks were. They were wearing her down faster than she would have liked. Grabbing the latest kick, she pulled Bazett in and grabbed her by the waist, following up with slamming her to the ground. She got a punch to the head for her troubles, the force of it lifting her up into the air above the enforcer, who then kicked her to the side. She traveled a bit before crashing into a tree.

"You would do well to surrender your Command Seals to me," said the enforcer as she stood tall, adjusting the gloves on her hands. Luvia said nothing, but got to her feet as well. "So be it," continued the enforcer with finality before she dashed forward, intending to end it.

Just as the fist was about to reach her head, the blonde ducked, the attack crashing against the tree; the plant broke and splintered, tumbling backward. She quickly dashed forward, going round her attacker and grabbing her by the waist. She lifted the enforcer up and bent over backward, slamming her opponent headfirst to the ground. The ground sunk and cracked, the spider web of cracks spreading out around them. Letting go, she quickly scrambled away and onto her feet. There was no way the enforcer would go down that easily...

She froze. In front of her was a figure. A fully black figure, as if it was wrapped in a cloak of darkness, staring at her with faintly glowing red eyes.

"It seems you seem to be on the verge of defeat. Allow me to make it a more permanent feature for you..."

The voice sent a chill down her spine. There was something... something about it that unnerved her so. She took a step back, ready to react; she berated herself for somehow getting scared at a time like this, " _I was named the heiress to my family. Damn it, why am I feeling this_?"

" _Step aside, mon-keigh_."

The first reaction she had was to throw herself to the side, as if compelled to listen. She could feel... something powerful moving past her at a ludicrous speed as she tumbled on the ground. The following reaction was...

" _Who the hell called me a monkey_!?" she raged inwardly with indignation.

A hiss of pain came from the shadowy figure, prompting her to look. Much to her surprise, it was bending forward, the spear that was sticking out of its chest presumably a bit too heavy to support. Slowly, it reached up and pulled it out, letting it fall to the floor as the wound closed up like it was nothing. "It seems I have underestimated that Servant of hers," it said as it stared at both Masters, "Is this body somehow affecting me that much? ...No matter, I am outnumbered for now. Do not worry, Edelfelt... I will see to you soon enough." The shadow then sank into the ground, disappearing beneath the earth.

"You make some strange enemies, Edelfelt," commented Bazett calmly, even though her clothes looked a little dusty.

"You mon-keigh make enemies so easily," said Lancer as the spear floated up and flew back to her hand, "It is a wonder your kind hasn't died off yet."

Luvia's eyes looked past the Servant to check on hers. Much to her surprise, she spotted him kneeling on one knee while gripping his head. "Rider?" she muttered as questioned raced through her head. Was he defeated? If so... why did Lancer spare him?

The enforcer chose that time to ask, "Why isn't Rider dead?" It seems she noticed that too.

"The mon-keigh spirit's well being is of no consequence," Lancer stated plainly, as if nothing interesting really happened, "I came here to gain information, and so I did. Just as my divination had revealed to me."

"Eh?" she sounded, feeling confused. She noticed the enforcer frowning a little as her face twitched.

"And what was so important that you had to come here?" the Irishwoman questioned, "I assumed that you meant there would be progress in our efforts in the War."

"Merely a suspicion confirmed," started the Servant before moving the attention onto her, "And yet, that is not all that was revealed. I brushed against the spirit's memories when I attacked his mind. Tell me, mon-keigh, what proof do you have that the Grail is corrupted?" The enforcer ceased frowning, now donning a surprised look.

Luvia steeled herself and replied, "I... am not sure. All we have are words of... someone claiming to be a former Servant. I do not know why, but she claims that the Caster of the previous War activated a powerful curse on the Grail the moment he was defeated and killed. My apologies, but that is all I know."

Lancer stared at her before stating, "I sense no deception from you or your words. I shall consider them." With that, she disappeared, shifting to spirit form.

Bazett sighed as she massaged her head and said, "It seems there are more complications than expected. I suppose that was why your Servant wanted to talk. Why hasn't the mediator called for a temporary halt to investigate this?"

"One, the former Archer does not wish for him to get involved," she explained, partly glad that they are finally on talking terms, and part cautious as the enforcer may very well disregard her words and attack, "Two, that damnable priest tried to attack me earlier."

"Kirei? Attack you? That doesn't sound like him," the Irishwoman voiced calmly, but her eyes narrowed slightly, "I worked with him before. There was no way he would attack without provocation nor without orders from his superiors."

"Well, I'm just telling you what I saw," Luvia retorted, "What you do with 'my' information is up to you."

The executor stared at her for a moment before replying, "I would rather meet this 'former Servant' before I make any sort of decision. Is there any way for us to meet?"

"...ugh... I suppose I'll have to ask Tohsaka about this... that is, if she even knows where Officer Mackenzie lives," she mused aloud with a frown, "How would I contact you if this were any way possible?"

"Just have Rider flare up his power," was the immediate response, "That would easily be detected, even for a Master."

"Hmm, I suppose..." she muttered as she tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"If there isn't anything else, I'll take my leave," stated Bazett before walking off. Just as Rider came up to her.

"So... I guess we didn't too bad after all," he summed up quite nicely.

* * *

The way back seemed to take a long time. For the two young Masters in particular, it was especially long coupled with the uneasy silence. Both of them seemingly hesitant to talk after they had left the temple. Saber trailed behind slightly, keeping not only quiet, but also a watchful eye on the violet haired girl. The girl's magecraft reminded her too much of Assassin's powers... well, the Assassin from the previous War. It was far too convenient for a shadowy patron to have suddenly appeared and to be wanting to teach her. And then, they suddenly stopped walking.

"Sakura, I..." started Shirou.

"... It's okay, Senpai," she assured softly as she turned to face him with a demure smile, "I already told you that I was happy to help."

"But... I didn't want to drag you into this," he protested weakly, his fists clenched by his side as he took to staring at the road, "I only wanted to see if Issei and his family were alright..."

"Senpai... it's good that you worry for him, but these are dangerous times..." she countered. Then, she tilted her head to one side and asked, "But... who told you Ryuudou-senpai might be in trouble?"

"Er... your brother told me..." he replied as he calmed down, his fists loosening their grip.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Nii-san? But how... is it because of that book?" she wondered aloud, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Yeah. He also told me that there was a Servant at the temple. That's why I was worried for Issei," he explained further as he looked up, "I never expected to be caught by Caster though..."

"... I still feel worried," she admitted after some thought.

"If you're worried about me, then you don't..." he started to assure her but she quickly brushed that notion aside.

"No... I mean I'm worried about what Rin-senpai would say about this," she confessed, giving him a worried look, "What are we going to say? You told us that you would be staying in."

"We tell her the truth," he immediately said.

Sighing, she turned around to keep walking and muttered to herself worriedly, "I was afraid of that."

Shirou stared before walking after her, sounding puzzled by her reaction. Saber turned to take one last look at the temple before trailing after them. This leaves Lancer's location to ascertain. She hoped that maybe, either Rin or Luvia would have found that out, perhaps making it easier to find the last Master and to get that magus to cooperate. She certainly hoped so.

* * *

Archer resisted letting loose a sigh for the umpteenth time. Having to return to the house with a rather irate Tohsaka Rin after long hours of scouting, only to find not a soul present in the house... Well, at least he confirmed that his younger person was just as foolish as he remembered himself to be. The only problem was that everything else was different. Mostly everything. Of course, some things do remain the same...

" _Do you sense them yet_?" asked Rin through their link. He could imagine her sporting a rather serene and calm smile, yet the atmosphere around her being anything but.

" _You do know, Master, that the boy technically didn't lie to you_ ," he pointed out as he spotted the red head in question coming down the lane with Saber... and a few more guests, " _Speaking of the boy, he's back_."

" _Good. I have some very choice words to say to him_ ," she replied, " _Please get him here_."

He shook his head and shifted to spirit form, sinking down into the roof and drifting towards the front door. Just in time to greet them too.

"Hn, it seems you have some explaining to do, Emiya Shirou," he said, laced with a bit of venom, "My Master is waiting."

"Ah... she's early," the boy muttered. Turning back to Sakura, he said, "Thank you, Sakura, for sending me back. I guess I'll go face Tohsaka now."

"No," she said as she shook her head, "Not alone. I've decided. I'll face her with you, Senpai."

"Eh?" the red head sounded in surprise, "But, won't Shinji..."

"Don't worry, Senpai," she assured him with a smile, "You may not know it, but I have been friends with Tohsaka-senpai for a while now. So... I'm quite sure that she won't be as angry with me around."

"Er... okay..." Shirou replied as he scratched his head.

Watching the both of them head to the living room, Archer was left in a semi bemused state." _Sakura seems to be a little braver now_ ," he thought to himself as he went back to his lookout point on the roof, " _For once, a good change... maybe... no, he is still chasing after that dream. No matter the change, that fact still remains the same_."

"You seem fixated on the boy."

He spun round, Kanshou and Bakuya materializing immediately. A single blade blocked the white sword. His eyes narrowed, glaring first at the black skull. "Why are you here?" he asked as he withdrew, his eyes moving down to analyze the weapon.

"Merely wondering whether the boy is safe under his own roof," was Assassin's reply as he spun his sword on the palm of his hand, the blade collapsing into the handle.

"The boy irked me the moment I met him," Archer explained smoothly, "I only tolerate him because my Master has allied herself with him. I'm pretty sure he dislikes me as well."

They stared at each other for a moment before Assassin said, "Perhaps. I still feel that you are hiding something but... I'll accept your reason... for now." He shifted to spirit form and phased through the roof.

He was all alone on the roof. He sighed in annoyance, wondering what was with all the Servant's in this War. Every weapon used by a Servant should have some discernible history behind it. And yet, he could only grasp Assassin's sword. Berserker's was made of an unknown metal. Rider's was not even a proper weapon at all; at most, one would call it an improvised weapon of sorts. He pushed the exasperation away and called forth the sword the Servant used. He squeezed the handle, the sword unfolding out. A second squeeze retracted it. It was well made and sturdy enough to take on his favored weapons. He dismissed the tracing and once again took watch, all the while contemplating what to do about Emiya Shirou under the pale moonlight.


	12. Bomb Has Been Planted

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

A muted grumble escaped Rin's lips as she made her way to the toilet. She turned on the tap and splashed the cold running water onto her face. The coldness shocked her, reinvigorating her reluctantly moving body. And then, memories of the previous night prodded her, giving way to a small sigh. Emiya Shirou was truly an exasperating individual.

* * *

_"_ Emiya-kun, would you mind telling me why you are... Sakura? What... _" she started, a rather happy smile on her face, in contrast to her anger. And yet, when her former sister appeared with the boy, her rage was quickly replaced by surprise._

_"_ Ah, good evening, Rin-senpai, _" greeted the adopted Matou with a sheepish smile._

_"_ Eh? _" she sounded, but she quickly got over her astonishment to glare at the red head, "_ Answer me, Emiya. Why is it that when I reached your house, you were nowhere to be found? _"_

_"_ I was investigating the temple, _" he immediately replied, "_ I know I shouldn't have, but I was worried for Issei and his family. _"_

_She couldn't believe her ears. What? "_ Just what made you think he would be in trouble? _" she asked incredulously._

_"_ Ah... about that... _" he muttered, somehow losing his confidence, "_ I may have found out... that a Servant was there... _"_

_"_ And who was it that told you? _" she asked, her glare coming back with a vengeance._

_"_... Nii-san told him _," Sakura spoke up._

_She couldn't believe her ears. That arrogant brat? Oh wait... "_ I see... _" she muttered as she narrowed her eyes in thought, "_ That book he found... that must be it... _" A quick glance to her primary ally pretty much confirmed her thoughts. Then again, this development was worrying._

* * *

"Is something wrong, Rin-senpai?"

"Eh?" she sounded as she blinked. She shook her head and said, "No, nothing's wrong... Just remembering last night..."

"Ah..." was the girl's subdued reply as she handed Rin a plate of buttered toast.

She took the plate, muttering offhandedly, "Western breakfast today?" Still in thought, she took up a piece and bit through the buttery goodness.

* * *

_"_ I just wanted to help..."

"Hmm?" _Rin hummed in surprise_ , "What are you talking about, Emiya?"

"I couldn't bear the thought of Issei somehow dying because I failed to check up on him," _he told them softly as he kept his gaze down on the mat. His hands were quite clenched and his body seemed tense_.

_Rin sighed and looked to Sakura. It seemed clear to her that there was no way she could get a proper answer from him._ "So... which Servant was at the temple?" _she asked her._

"About that..." _the violet haired girl replied, looking quite unsure if she should tell her. And then out came the story of their night time adventure._

"Do you mean to tell me..." _she started, her face twitching with her eyes closed,_ "That Caster summoned a Servant of her own... and that Servant... that Servant is outside the known seven classes?" _She held back. She wanted to rage against the injustice of it all. An eighth class?! Really?! She finally sighed and said_ , "The night has obviously been too much for us. I think we should go to sleep and discuss this in the morning."

* * *

She sighed after sipping on her tea. She then realized something was off after a cursory glance. Deciding against asking Sakura, she turned to the other girl of the current group. "Saber, where is your Master?"

"I am afraid I do not know," admitted the Servant with a shake of her head, "He was missing from his bed when I awoke from my slumber."

Sakura sighed and informed them, "Senpai fell asleep in the shed again. He should be done getting ready for breakfast right about now."

"Huh? That old storehouse outside? What could he be doing there..." the Tohsaka heiress muttered, her brow furrowing in thought. Then, with a brow raised, "Hmm, that... it could be possible... a workshop?" And then her eyes widened and she looked to her former sister and said incredulously, "He let you into his workshop?! Not even an apprentice would do something idiotic like that..."

"Er... I wouldn't call it a workshop... but..." the girl replied, looking uneasy under the sudden attention, "I often find Senpai there on most mornings..." And then, fear replaced her unease. "Is that why Senpai looked a bit scared when I woke him today? Because I'm a magus..." she muttered worriedly.

"Sakura, there is no reason to be scared."

All three pairs of eyes moved to look at Shirou as he seated himself at the table. "You only caught me by surprise this morning. There's nothing to worry about," he assured the near-frantic girl with a soft smile, who then had a reason to breathe a bit easier.

"I still want to know... why in the world would you let another person into your workshop? You aren't worried they might steal your secrets?" Rin questioned him, determined to get to the bottom of this.

"Huh? There isn't anything remotely connected to magecraft in there," he informed her as he spread some marmalade on his buttered toast, "I only use it for practicing reinforcement and repairing stuff."

She was aghast at his admission. "What!? Why would you casually tell another magus what you are doing in your workshop?" she grilled him, "No magus will simply reveal all their secrets like this!"

"Indeed. I would have assumed a magus would want to keep their trump cards secret as to surprise their enemies," added Saber, curiosity getting to her.

"Eh? But we're allies... what's the point of hiding it?" he asked in confusion, "Besides, my dad always said that magic isn't something you should go out of your way to hide... then again, I think he was trying to say to not to let myself get bound by rules..."

She could only stare at him in disbelief. She was sure the other two were reacting the same way... at least Sakura would be. This attitude contradicts everything she had been taught. This is not the behavior of a proper magus. Before she could voice out her concerns, she could hear loud thumping sounds coming from the hallway.

"Shirou!" shouted Taiga as she ran to her place at the table, "Food!"

Rin resisted the urge to groan in annoyance. It seems like she would have to ask later. Then again, she recalled something that Luvia mentioned a few days ago.

" _Emiya Kiritsugu..._ " she wondered as she stirred her tea, " _Who are you and why didn't you teach your son to be a proper magus_?"

* * *

It was a cold morning. Yet, the condition of this well kept garden was quite impressive. As of now, pink and white blooms were on every bush in the inner courtyard. Nearby, a maid was busy tending to the still healthy plants. Illya stifled a yawn as she stepped outside, already fully dressed.

"Eh, Berserker... what are you doing out here?" she asked as the large Servant came into being off to the side of the entrance. He said nothing, but continued to observe the garden. She pouted at the lack of response and muttered, "Probably not a morning person either..."

"It is peaceful."

She blinked and looked at him. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "You have seen my life, have you not?" he asked as he turned his gaze back to the garden.

She nodded slowly. What was he getting at?

"I have steeped myself in vengeance. I have been used as a pawn by others. My anger drove me to unspeakable things and to amazing feats," he recounted to her, "Yet, I have only known a single moment of peace. You should know what I speak off."

Ah. That. The first time she asked him who the girl was many months ago, she almost wilted under his angry gaze. Only after giving him some space of a few hours, he suddenly decided to tell her. It was his daughter. "You are reliving your precious moment,"she guessed as she followed his gaze. The garden was indeed quite beautiful, now that she took the time to look. Then, thinking back, the past few days have been boring. The more powerful Berserker became, the more he used. Even with her vast reserves, she could actually feel the drain. He took a considerable amount, but nothing like a good rest to get it back. Yet, it felt like she was avoiding the main issue, Emiya Shirou. She still wanted him dead. But... she wanted to know, why in the world did he get in the way of Berserker's sword? Didn't he know what a Servant was?

She blinked and looked to her side. Her Servant was gone. She hummed a bit before going back inside. Time to scout the town again!

* * *

It was a school day like any other school day. Morning classes came and went. Lunchtime was without incident. Classes continued. In the science lab, the chemistry teacher was writing the day's topic on the board. He was a rather large man who has yet to lose any of his short hair. Hearing muffled chatter behind him, he intoned sternly as he finished writing, "If you would please refrain from talking, I shall start briefing you on what to do." Turning around, he began, "Now. Today we shall find out... what is going on here?"

His eyes widened as all talk in the room ceased. Every student had started getting off their seats and backing away from the middle of the room, where a strange, odd spider web started to spread out on the floor. It was glowing and pulsating a reddish purple color; as it reached its brightest, it suddenly stopped and faded away. Thinking one of the students started a prank that went wrong, the teacher shouted, "Who did this!? If I find out who did this, you will be...!"

He never had a chance to complete his sentence.

* * *

The building seemed to rumble, causing all classes to cease activity. And then, screams and shouts accompanied the shrill siren rang out, many of the students semi panicking when those seated near the window pointed out that there was smoke coming from the building where science labs were. Teachers ended their classes and guided their students out and everyone went assembled at the dusty field in the middle of the school. Worry was in the air and many wondered what happened there that caused such an explosion.

" _Archer, any idea what happened_?" Rin asked mentally, also sharing a sense of curiosity. She got no reply at first. But...

" _No survivors._ "

" _...What_?" she said, doing her best to maintain a calm demeanor as to not frighten those around her. A loud annoying sound echoed across the field as the principal used his megaphone to address the assembly.

" _Assassin can confirm. Also... I believe something akin to magecraft is involved in this._ "

" _Could it be Caster_?" she questioned, " _Is she making a move on us_?"

" _... It could be possible. There isn't any proof here, though._ "

She frowned. What could Caster gain by this? Was she letting them know she knew their identities? Then, to her surprise, police sirens. Many police cars and a truck rolled up to the school entrance. The officers spread out and headed towards the buildings with except one, who had leaped out from the back of the truck. He was shouting orders to the other policemen. He met up with the principal and said a few words. After that, the principal announced the end of school and that everyone should go back home and stay there... along those lines... in not so many words. With an atmosphere of relief, the student body milled out of the school, with many complaining about leaving their belongings behind. The teachers followed suit. Only a few others were somewhat lagging behind the milling crowd.

"Grr, of all the times Rider had to be on the other side of town," grumbled Luvia with a frown.

Rin smirked. Well, she would take any silver lining she could take. Then, she noticed Sakura had stopped following them. She turned around and saw her former sister facing the school. "Is anything wrong, Sakura?" she asked, drawing the attention of the others.

"Assassin stayed behind... he saw nii-san on the roof..." she muttered, still staring ahead in shock. The plume of smoke that came from the lab seemed to have thinned a bit.

"Shinji? But... that's weird, I never saw him at school today," stated Shirou in surprise.

Without warning, a loud roar came from the school. Seven more plumes rose up. The four Master's froze. The red head was the first to come to his senses and he ran towards the school.

"H-hey! Wait a minute, Emiya-kun!" shouted Rin after him, "It might be a trap!"

"Senpai!" Sakura sounded as she ran after him. The other two paused to glare each other before running after them.

" _Stupid, stupid, Emiya_ ," she rumbled mentally as she chased after them, " _Has he already forgotten how dangerous it is_?" She skidded to a halt when she came upon the rest of them. She could only stare in shock.

The police leader was busy shouting into a small black box while the others were busy carrying the injured officers to the middle of the field. Smoke billowed out of the nearby buildings. Most of the windows had shattered and broken glass littered the ground near the buildings. The three Master's in front of her could only stare in shock. Slowly, she walked up to the violet haired girl and whispered, "Sakura, we have to go now. Drag Emiya away if you have to."

"Rin-senpai... nii-san... on the roof... there's something wrong... why is he..." she muttered in a hushed voice.

* * *

He never wanted to laugh so much like the present time. He could feel the power. The book felt as if it was throbbing... pulsating. It was now floating open in front of him, the entire thing glowing in alternating hues of purple and red. Glancing to the side, already he could see the chaos happening due to his actions. Looking back at the book, he could see the jagged handwriting appearing on the pages.

_Master, it is done_.

Shinji grinned. He did it. Now that he has collected enough power in the book, he would be able to use the spells within. Magic. Real magic. Not magecraft, but magic. This will definitely make him... his name... famous. Prestigious. Maybe unlock a new ability, a new sorcery that only his own family could use. A Sixth True Magic. He ran his fingers on the page

_Stretch your hand out behind you, Master_.

He did so. The grin fled and gave way to fear. Did the book want to kill him!? The blade was inches away from his head. Without warning, the book flared up and an unknown language was written down by an invisible hand. An eight pointed star bloomed, touching the fingertips that were still on the book. The flare of color ran up the hand, up the arm and spread through his body, enveloping him entirely. Yellow chains burst out of the concrete floor and restrained the attacking Servant as well as the weapon.

Shinji simply stared for a moment as the Servant struggled to get out of her binds. It was the very same Servant that attacked him that night. Surprise became a grin. It then turned into a chuckle, which morphed into full blown maniacal laughter. "Such power at my fingertips!" he declared in delight as he turned to the book, "I must know more."

"You fool!"

He growled and turned back to the restrained Servant.

"You would condemn the fate of your world in your quest for power," she told his frowning face, "You know not the root of this power."

"Hah, don't presume to lecture me, Servant," he said arrogantly, "Besides, a magus walks with death. Why wouldn't I be taking the same risk?"

"This goes beyond your little mind, mon-keigh," she warned him as she strained against the chains.

"Hn. Please, I'm below such petty name calling, Servant," he retorted condescendingly, deciding against hitting her as to not injure his hands against that armor she was wearing, "Regardless, I believe it's time I took my leave." With that, the book flew into his hand and he disappeared with it.

* * *

It took much coaxing and pushing, but the girls finally got Shirou to tear his eyes away from the horrific sight and to return home. He was still tense, even in the safety of his house. Even as he sat at the table, his fists were clenched, his mind seemed to have gone elsewhere. Sakura had volunteered to do dinner shopping, since her senpai seemed to be out of it. That left Luvia and Rin with him. A potentially volatile situation. Yet, so far, all they were doing were casting occasional glares at each other while monitoring the red head to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. They kept quiet as even talking about what happened would have made the boy even more stressed. But eventually, the boredom got to her and the blonde got up and went to the television.

"... attack on Homu..."

"... explosion..."

"... an incident occurred..."

"...casualties among..."

After flipping a few channels, she quickly turned it off. But after turning around, she cringed inwardly when she saw her crush's body trembling. Rim, meanwhile, was giving her a glare that probably meant, 'See what you did, stupid ditz.'

As much as the Tohsaka's looks irked her, she tried to talk to the boy, "Shirou..."

"I couldn't do anything..."

"Shirou, it wasn't your fault," she tried to reach out to him again.

"I know... but, I feel so helpless," Shirou muttered out, the agony in his voice clear, "I know there was no way I could help. It had already been done. But why... why did it happen? Why did Shinji..."

"So you were paying attention," Rin spoke up seriously as she crossed her arms.

"...Not really. But... Sakura said something was wrong, so I tried to take notice," he replied, a wry and tired smile coming to his lips. He then shook his head as his trembling stopped, the smile wilting away, "I cannot understand why Shinji did all this."

"Grimoires sometimes have their own mana... and are able to use it," Rin stated with a bit of a pause, "Sometimes it is able to sense it... and will draw in the user against the user's will."

Shirou slammed the table and shouted in disbelief, "Are you saying Shinji is being possessed by that book!?"

She nodded. "That is the most likely possibility," she said as she held up her finger, her other hand supporting the arm, "And I'm pretty sure you wouldn't like the other possible reason."

Shirou fell silent with that.

"You mean that he really did intend to use whatever magecraft that occurred at the school," summed up Luvia, "After finding it in that book, that is."

"No, Shinji wouldn't do something like that," muttered the red head as he returned to staring at the tatami. The other two fell silent in thought.

"Good evening everyone," greeted Sakura with a demure smile as she stepped into the room. Taking a few steps forward, she was a little surprised to notice her Senpai getting up and approaching her.

"Sakura, sorry to bother you," he said to her with a tired smile as he reached for the groceries.

"Eh? Senpai... are you sure you are up to this?" she asked with concern, "After what..."

"Don't worry. I'm fine," he said as he took the bags out of her hands and headed to the kitchen in her stead. She stood there watching him for a moment before moving to the table and taking a seat.

"You seem a bit happier right now," commented Rin, interrupting the silence.

Sakura nodded. "Assassin was able to get Officer MacKenzie's address," she explained, "It was while I was buying food for tonight's dinner."

"He did? How did he do it exactly?" asked Luvia, her curiosity piqued.

"Ah... technically, you are still an enemy Master, so I can't tell you," the violet haired girl replied with a smile. The Edelfelt only gave a frown in response.

"Well, I suppose plans for tonight are settled," the twin tailed Master said with a smirk directed at the blonde. Her features soon became serious, muttering, "Although, it is somewhat worrying. We should still be careful since Illya and that overpowered Berserker are still looking for us..."

"Hmph, I suppose I should be going now," announced Luvia as she got up, "Hopefully, we could get a little more insight later." Without waiting for a reply, she left.

* * *

Dinner was less energetic. Other than asking for food, Taiga didn't say much of anything else. What mutterings that could be deciphered, the rest of the day was spent checking up on students, placating worried and angry parents, and finally topped off with an interview at the local kōban. That left the teacher rather tired, though she did regain a little bit of strength after dinner.

Then she asked, "Shirou, are you alright? You don't seem to be eating much." Getting no response, she shook him gently while repeating his name.

"Uh? Oh, no, I'm fine, Fuji-nee," he muttered as he was shaken out of his brooding. That fact itself didn't go unnoticed either. Sakura then took the teacher's attention off him with more questions.

After dinner was over, Taiga insisted that she and Sakura stay there for a few days. For safety's sake, was her excuse. Still, it did make sense after all that had happened that day.

"Won't she be a little suspicious that all of us accompanied her to her room?" asked Shirou offhandedly with a cursory glance behind him.

"It was the only way that I could leave a minor hypnotic suggestion for her to be a heavy sleeper today," brushed off Rin, "Being that you have no idea how to do so and Sakura being reluctant to do so, that left me to do it."

"Still..." trailed off Shirou as he followed the girls and Servant out, locking the door behind him. He didn't continue as a limousine pulled up in front of the house.

"Hi!" greeted Luvia as the door window rolled down, "Please, allow me to take us where we need to go. You can give the directions to the driver."

"Just what are you doing?" questioned Rin, narrowing her eyes in suspicion as she crossed her arms in front of her, "I know your family's servants are privy to your secrets, but this is ridiculous. You really want to drag them into this? Even when Berserker and his Master wandering around looking for us?"

"You really think I don't know that?" retorted the Edelfelt magus with a glare, "I would never put them in harm's way. The Edelfelt repay loyalty better than that. Besides, Rider is driving instead."

Rin made a disgruntled sound as the Servant in question materialized and opened the door for them. Slowly, they filed inside, the twin tailed magus the last to get inside in her reluctance. With a grin, Rider closed the door and shifted to spirit form, heading to the driver's seat.

* * *

A long car drove up and stopped outside the gate. A pair of eyes watched as the passengers exited the vehicle and let themselves in. Five entered the small compound in front of the house; the car seemed to stop rumbling at the same time. Shinji grinned, though he wondered why they would be making a house call at the dead of night... No matter... Whomever they are visiting will have to be sacrificed too...

He turned to his side, the book already open. On the page it showed to him was a spell, or so the book tells him. He had no idea how to say it. It didn't look like any language he knew. He frowned.

"How am I going to cast this if I can't read it?" he asked it with an annoyed tone.

_My apologies, Master. My previous owner... my first Master, did not want any of my secrets to be given so freely. Sure you can understand that_.

"Of course I can. However, doesn't this mean that I would not be able to understand either?" he rebutted.

_Indeed... please, lay your hand on the page the spell is written. Allow this one to do the rest_.

A grumbling sound issued from his throat as he did as the book requested. He pulled back a sleeve, laying his right hand on the book. The page began to glow; a hidden sign, an eight pointed star, glowed in tandem with the spell. Looking back to the house the visitors were in, he watched as glowing circles began forming outside the house compound. Five beings materialized into existence; horned human-like beings with hunched, crested backs with wiry limbs. Their skin was colored red... blood red. They were all armed with a single blade; a blade so black and dark that one could say it both shimmered and sucked in all light around it. Inhuman shrieks and growls echoed through the still night as the one nearest to the house pointed at it with its sword. Shinji could only grin in anticipation.

* * *

The door opened and the first one to get out was Shirou. He was followed by Saber, then a glaring contest between Rin and Luvia. In the end, Luvia got off ahead of her after Sakura tugged her sleeve.

"This looks like a quaint little cabin," the blonde commented as she gave the house a one over, "A cabin in the middle of a concrete jungle."

Without a word, Rin walked up to the fence and opened the wooden gate. As the others followed suit, she headed straight for the door, only pausing to take off her shoes. After a few knocks, the door opened, revealing a soon to be surprised Noel.

"Wha- Rin?" she managed to sputter out as her eyes went wide.

"Good evening, MacKenzie-san," greeted Sakura while Shirou rubbed the back of his head sheepishly with a smile.

"Oh, erm... please, come in... I suppose," the police officer said as she stepped aside to let them in, still in a daze. She got a smattering of thanks before she closed the door.

"This is quite nice and cozy," commented Luvia as all the guests looked around.

"We aren't here to look around, idiot," muttered Rin nonchalantly after a glance. Focusing her attention on the former Servant, "Unfortunately... we haven't exactly been successful in informing the other Masters about your concerns."

"Semi successful, you mean," interjected Luvia smugly, "While... Berserker's Master wasn't very receptive, Lancer's Master was."

"Oh, please... tell us of your exploits," ground out the Tohsaka heiress, annoyed that the Edelfelt somehow got better results than she did.

"But of course, allow me to show you how your better can do things," the blonde gloated.

"Shirou, something is happening outside," Saber interrupted the soon-to-be-heated discussion as she noticed the electric red glow outside the house. This brought everyone running to the windows. Everyone was taken aback when the five inhuman beings materialized. Their view was suddenly blocked by a darkly dressed character.

"Eh? Assassin?" exclaimed Sakura in surprise.

* * *

He has already pulled on his mask. He watched as the beings slowly walked towards the fence. They certainly gave out an intimidating vibe, but he had faced worse. His sword came to his hand. He twirled it, revealing the sharp folded blade. He gripped his left hand, the sign giving off a faint white glow. As they leaped over the fence, he lifted his left hand, as if throwing something in the air. A grey, transparent dome suddenly appeared and expanded, covering the entirety of the fence, the road along it and part of the garden.

" _Well, a bit smaller than I would like... but good enough_ ," he judged as he saw all five beings frozen in place.

He held his hand up, stretched out to the intruders. The sign glowed once more. He was ready.


	13. Do Not Go Quietly

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

Glass crinkled. Dust and debris crunched underfoot. Leather boots stepped through the doorway. Careful eyes looked over the room. Senses peeled and aware, both physical and magical. Wooden items burnt to ash. Plastic warped and charred. Glass pooled into cool, hard puddles. Only the metal skeletons retained their form, even after being burnt and blackened.

"I suppose I feel impressed," mused Caster as she took in everything with her eyes, "Yes... this is quite impressive... no offense of course, erm, Kuzuki."

"... Quite," the stern looking man muttered, "Though, I do not appreciate the burning of the school."

"Yes, yes, I know that," she retorted as she turned to him, "Magic is definitely involved. I can feel it... it is very heavy. Strangely, it doesn't feel like anything I've felt before. There is an... I rarely say this at all, but I do not know how to describe it... and I truly hate not knowing what is going on here..."

She turned around and walked out.

"I suppose I have to send Avenger out to search for the one that did this," she stated as they walked away from the buildings, "So much for keeping this secret. What a useless mediator the War has." And then, she stopped in her tracks, "Well, what do we have here..."

A white haired little girl dressed in purple was standing at the gate of the school. A very familiar girl. Her red eyes were staring straight at them. She curtsied and greeted, "Good evening. My name is Illyasviel von Einzbern."

"Oh? Good evening to you too. It is quite a pleasant surprise," was her reply, outwardly calm but ready to start casting, "I honestly thought nobody else would be around tonight."

"Hmm, and I thought my Onii-chan would be here... that is too bad," the short Master somewhat rambled on. Then, a smile graced her face and she decided, "I suppose you will suffice."

Caster narrowed her eyes; this was starting to get out of her hands. As of right now, her spells are good enough to take out the little girl, but will it be faster than Berserker's attacks? Based on what she saw through Tamin's eyes, there was an equal chance of either of them surviving. That itself was not high enough for her. She had to be sure of the survival of both her and her tether. Is there any way she could get out of this?

Luck was on her side when a sudden spike of power shot up in the district, drawing the attention of her opponent. The girl muttered, "Onii-chan," as she calmly walked towards the source, only pausing to face them and curtsy before going on her way. She watched her walk off, letting loose a breath that she never noticed she held.

"It seems fortune has favored us," stated Souichirou, carefully watching the little Master disappear from view.

"Quite," Caster agreed as the power spike started to drop, "Although, I do wonder why a Servant has issued such a challenge, even if for a second..."

* * *

He disappeared in a burst of black dust. The grey dome fell and the five beings were freed from their stasis. Momentarily surprised, they continued walking menacingly towards the house with snarls and growls. Until one of the beings had its eyes darken over like a black cloud overcoming the yellow and white of its eyes. A sudden roar. A shoulder grabbed. A dark blade sliding through another, bursting through the chest. The blackened weapon was then dragged downwards, flesh rending and bones breaking. The eyes then ceased being clouded and the demonic being stood there, surprised that it struck down one of its own. The others roared and charged, swiftly cutting it down with their flailing swords.

Then there were three.

One snarled when it caught sight of something appearing out of the corner of its eyes. Black dust spinning round and reforming into something. Assassin. With a roar, it leaped at the Servant, who threw out his hand. A sudden gust of wind sent it flying back, causing it to collide with one other behind it. The remaining, charging demon swung its sword, the blade getting parried by the Servant's own. Ignoring its squabbling kin, it hacked and slashed at the thing before it, and yet it's blade was turned away at every swing. It seemed that he had everything covered... until the others surrounded him just as the latest slash was diverted off course. He stood his ground as the fiends circled him.

The first darted forward with a stab. He sent himself to the side, spinning round as he moved to block the attack to his exposed back. He pushed the dark blade to the side to use it as a temporary shield to another sword. Noticing the third running to flank him, he Blinked and let the two before him to collapse forward. He reappeared beside the third; he reversed the grip on his sword as he grabbed the head of the demon and plunged the blade into its neck, dragging his weapon down the side of its chest. A certain kill. He tossed the body to the side and prepared himself to fight off the other two. They had just gotten to their feet when two arrow-like missiles went through their necks. With a great roar, they burst into flames and burned to ashes.

Assassin looked to the roof, catching sight of the large black bow Archer was holding. He nodded his thanks after a moment's pause. Turning to the fence, he called out to the Servant standing there, "You can stop now. You are drawing too much attention."

"Well, I suppose you're right," Rider admitted as he did as the other Servant asked, "However, I was just helping someone to find their way here."

"And I appreciate the directions," said a short, magenta haired lady who was neatly dressed in a business suit. She had a long container slung over her shoulder. "Good evening," she greeted, "I am Lancer's Master. I come to see the supposed Archer of the previous War."

"You are quite brave to come without your Servant," Assassin stated, his eyes carefully scanning for the missing Servant.

"She... is more concerned about the person who summoned those things earlier," admitted the woman haltingly, embarrassed perhaps, "If she knew I was going to be in danger... she would probably do everything in her power to turn it to her advantage... without my knowledge."

He stared at her, trying to ascertain her truthfulness. Finding no deception, he relented, "You may enter. I do warn you, any sudden moves and you face four Servants alone." With that, he disappeared with a burst of black wisps of faint smoke.

* * *

He sat in the front-most pew closest to the pulpit. Pale moonlight filtered through the windows, creating many shadowy places within the church. He had his eyes closed, an image of calmness and peace. Slowly, the front doors creaked open, letting another beam of moonlight to sneak through. The door creaked closed again. Someone or something hesitantly walked down the aisle and sat in the pew opposite to his. Eddie didn't need his eyes to tell him who it was.

"Why are you here? I do not recall the Grail selecting you as a Master, Matou Shinji," said Kirei as he opened his eyes, noting the pale pinks and reds that now illuminated the place. Ever so slowly, he turned his head to see the boy reading the source of the light. A rather wrinkled book. It was a curious thing, yet he did not ask about it as he had yet to receive an answer. And he noticed something odd.

The boy was slowly beginning to grin as he continued to read... assuming he was reading. He then closed the book with a snap and looked to the 'priest' rather strangely. "I can't believe this," he muttered with a spot of giggling, "You are not the priest everyone in town knows. How did you do it? Is he dead?" He then stretched and got up from his seat, "Never mind that. I know what you are. The book... knows... what... you are." He came closer with every word until he came face to face with the 'priest', "I propose an alliance."

The former Assassin pushed the boy away gently, not wanting a face full of spit. He stared at him and asked, "You wish for an alliance? What purpose would it serve?"

"You wish for the War to hurry up, right? And you can't do that with my sister and a few others attempting to persuade the other Masters not to fight," he stated with a grin, "I wish to help you. This way, I get to test out my limits with this newfound power... and you get what you want. The Grail."

"Hmph, it is true that they are refusing to continue with the War even after participating," he admitted reluctantly as all this stalling is going against what he was asked to do after all, his current purpose. "However, I am perfectly capable of doing it with my own hands if it comes down to it," he then countered calmly.

"Heh, really? I don't think the others will appreciate that... after I tell them," the boy threatened.

"I care not for your threats, Matou Shinji," he replied, "Whatever action I take will happen regardless of their knowledge of my identity."

"But what about an extra hand? With my help, you can do twice the work. Twice the killing even," the boy pressed further. That fact did make sense to him. He could very well take care of multiple Masters at once. And quite possibly, take on the four way alliance that formed.

Still, it was very suspicious for that boy to appear out of the blue and to offer a helping hand. It reminded him of Caster's offer of aid. He had better keep a close watch on the boy, lest he become an uncontrollable variant in the process of bringing forth the Grail.

"That last statement made more sense that your earlier words, Matou Shinji," he relented with his words. He got up and held out his hand, "An alliance of that sort will certainly push things in the proper direction. This I can agree to."

"You... will not regret this," declared the boy with a pleased, arrogant grin as he shook the priest's hand.

* * *

There was a whole range of reactions to her story. Shirou was quite shocked at what had happened. Luvia and the enforcer, who introduced herself as Bazett, were looking thoughtful. Sakura was looking pale and somewhat sickly, her hands covering her mouth. Rin had her head down, no doubt her hands gripping the hem of her skirt quite tightly. Noel had already expected such reactions. She was quite disturbed herself, as the tale brought back many unpleasant memories about the previous War. Thankfully, she had decided to stop at Caster's end. She'd rather not talk about the priest's betrayal.

"Is there any way to remove this curse?" the Irish enforcer asked.

"Unfortunately, it has yet to be seen if it can be removed at all," Luvia spoke up, "Nor is there any indication whether there is a curse in the first place." Noting the glare the Tohsaka was giving her, she explained, "I still have my doubts. Hearing this story does not give any proof that there is a curse in the first place. After all, it could just be a dying man's bluff."

"Because, if there was no curse, don't you think Kiritsugu Emiya would have used it in the first place?" asked Noel, halting the growing altercation in its tracks, "Instead, he ordered Saber to destroy it." Before anyone could protest, "Plus, why would he ask Saber to destroy if he didn't find out it was cursed? Most likely, the Grail had already chosen him as the winner and he saw first hand the effects of Caster's curse."

"And how would you know that he had already won?" fired back the blonde magus.

"Because Waver told me that he saw Berserker and Rider die on the bridge," she told the surprised crowd, "And I can only assume that Emiya Senior had already taken out... Assassin's Master before he met up with me and Saber."

"Wait... Waver? As in, Waver Velvet? Lord El-Melloi the Second?" sputtered out Rin with wide eyes.

"... Yes?"

"... Rin-senpai? I don't think this is the time to plan out the future..." Sakura chided with some reluctance.

"I quite agree," added Luvia with a smile, "How would you know if you survive this War or not? It could be that you might die tonight."

"If you don't quit it, I'll make sure you won't, you blonde ditz," the twin tailed magus retorted heatedly.

"Interesting... I shall contact my superior and request contact with him tomorrow morning," declared Bazett, ignoring the brewing argument, "Should your story hold true, I suppose I shall lend you my assistance."

"I have a question of my own," spoke up the Edelfelt, "How is it that the same Saber was summoned twice in a row? And how do we know it's the same Saber?"

"Previously, I was summoned by his father," Saber spoke up to reply, "I can only assume he used a catalyst connected to me since our way of doing things... clashed... is all I can say, as I rather not speak ill of the dead." Looking to the only boy in the room, she continued, "My summoning by Shirou was purely accidental. However, it is possible that his father may have hidden the catalyst somewhere in his..."

With that, Shirou shook his head and said, "No... I've used the st-I mean, the workshop many times and I do not remember anything odd or stuff that stood out. Nothing at all that looked even remotely like a catalyst of some sort."

"...I have no other explanation," admitted the Servant.

The boy crossed his arms in front as he leaned back against the chair. Then, he asked, "What was my father like?"

"Do you mean during the War? Or..." queried Saber, but was interrupted by Bazett.

"Kiritsugu Emiya. A freelancer who operated under the title 'Magus Killer'. Known Spellcaster," stated the enforcer, as if reciting from a text, "Well known for using modern weaponry to accomplish his means. While he is greatly... 'disliked'... at the Association, nobody would argue against his effectiveness. Was unable to be found until ten years ago, when there was word of him representing the Einzberns at this War. After that, he went missing again. Presumed to have died in the War."

"He... killed people?" the red head muttered as he stared at the Irishwoman, "Wh-"

"As far as I know, he turned in many bounties that involved Sealing Designates as well as any magus that threatened to reveal magecraft to the world through their careless actions," she said further, sending him into silence.

Rin groaned and muttered, "Great. I had the Magus Killer living under my nose the whole time and I never even noticed... and I can see why Emiya turned out to be a terrible magus."

"I see... this explains his behavior," stated Saber, "Still, I have seen how he interacted with his child before we came to Fuyuki. It was as if he only opened his heart to her."

"Illya... it seems I have a lot of catching up to do," said Shirou, now taken to staring at the table. Sakura and Luvia had nothing to say, but instead looked at him worriedly.

"Erm, who is Illya?" asked Noel, feeling that she was missing something.

"Ah, about that..." started Rin, coming out of her moroseness and proceeding to explain what had taken place the night they went to the church. The former Servant couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"This... could be a problem," she admitted with a frown after hearing what happened, "Right now... I don't see how we can stop her from targeting him. She sounds determined to see him dead." After a breath, she announced, "This is a lot to take in right now. Maybe we should continue next time?"

"Agreed. I shall take my leave then," concurred Bazett as everyone got up from their seats.

"Bazett, if you wish, you can stop by here in the morning," suggested the former Servant, "I can help you contact Waver directly."

"... That would be helpful. I accept," the enforcer replied before leaving.

"I hoped we could have found an answer by now," a disappointed Rin told Noel at the door after the rest had gone outside.

"Me too... I think... I should at least get all of you back safe and sound," the former Servant decided, "You know, just in case Berserker and Illya appears."

"I... I'd appreciate that a lot," Rin replied with a smile, "Even though our Servant's had recovered somewhat, I don't know if it's enough to fight Berserker on even ground. I swear that his power is totally unfair."

* * *

The meeting was quite... interesting. The probability of Noel MacKenzie lying to her was lowered considerably due to the fact that the story itself was quite believable. Plus, if she could somehow make contact with Lord El-Melloi and get him to verify her story... then Miss MacKenzie truly is...

_There is a hidden power around that one_.

Bazett froze in her steps. "...I take it you failed to find that summoner," she finally said.

_How astute you are_.

"Well... what do you think of her story?" she asked as she continued on her way.

_If what she says is true, then your world has been doomed from the very start_.

"I fail to see how a book that was... made... ten years ago would 'doom' our world," she replied, "Granted the materials are of suspect nature..."

_You know not how the corruption of Chaos twists the bearer's mind into an abomination. It is used as a means to an end to plunge entire worlds into oblivion_.

"You are way too cryptic. How in the world am I supposed to understand..."

_You do not 'understand' Chaos, Mon-Keigh. Its influence and its roots must be completely eradicated to save your world, and destroying that book is the key to it. Not even I would damn your world to Chaos_.

"Another thing, I have a name. It is Bazett," she grumbled.

_I would use it 'if' you have any actions that are noteworthy. So far, you have none_.

The enforcer scowled at what she saw as an insult. She received similar scathing remarks from all the magi at the Clocktower. These kinds of things were no different from that. But having constantly getting looked down upon, by her Servant no less, really irked her. They were supposed to work together to win. How were they going to win if the Servant was of doing her own thing? It was times like this that she wished she summoned Cú Chulainn instead.

"I shouldn't waste any more time on this," she muttered, "Too damn cold. A warm bed would be welcome right now, I believe... There is much to do in the morning..."

* * *

"I know she offered to accompany us back to Shirou's house, but why is she riding with us?" Luvia grumbled under her breath. The limousine was not that long or roomy, so with Noel's addition to the passengers, it was a little cramped. What annoyed her was that she wasn't able to sit near the one she liked. Instead, she was pushed up against the Tohsaka magus; both of them were trying their best not to get too close, but with their seating positions, they were without much luck.

"I suppose you'd like to face Berserker without extra back-up," her supposed rival half whispered, half retorted to her.

"She could follow us by running over the rooftops, you know?" the Edelfelt fired back.

"Oh? Why run when you conveniently provided transport for us?" was the reply.

"This is for our use only, you fool," she muttered.

"Just grin and bear with it. Aren't you already used to doing it?" Rin sneered in a hush.

"Why you..." she growled.

Sakura sighed, looking quite tired. Noel gave an understanding smile and nudged the violet haired girl, "They are always like that?"

The girl nodded. "Away from prying eyes, they are. It's been like this since Edelfelt transferred here a year ago," she explained, looking on as the two girls in question sat there glaring at each other, "N... Rin-senpai would either be complaining about her or be prideful for one upping her. Even though I don't mind it, I often wish we went back to the time before Edelfelt was here."

"Sorry to hear that," the former Servant stated kindly, noting the behavior of the other two passengers. Shirou and Saber seemed to be deep in thought; one with eyes closed and crossed arms, the other staring out of the window as if to keep a watchful eye. "That said, a little friendly competition never truly hurt anyone," she added, moving her point of view back to the glaring... well, they stopped glaring, going back to huffing and not speaking to each other.

Then her eyes went wide. It passed by, only a few seconds long, but she saw it. Saber as well.

"Get down!"she yelled as she pushed her Master to the floor, her armor materializing in a bright flash. Glass broke and metal crashed into each other as a jagged blade glanced against her gauntlet, catching the metal frame of the limousine's windowed door. Luvia and Rin reacted a little slower, throwing themselves off their seats when the second blade came through the roof, impaling the leather between them. Sakura immediately formed a small dome of shadow around herself; it happened almost instinctively. The moving vehicle sagged behind as a great weight landed on the boot of the limousine.

"Bolverk!"

Noel immediately started shooting the window frames, destroying the thin structures in one shot. Then, it took just a few more shots to wreck part of the roof, cutting loose the damaged piece of steel and letting momentum slam it into the attacking Servant. Quickly getting up, she peeked over the broken glass of the back window to see Berserker tossing aside the remains of the roof. A little figure then ran to him and jumped on his shoulder. The figure shouted something and the Servant started running after them. As the other Masters rose up to take stock of the situation, Noel slid open the window in the partition.

"Servant attack?" asked Rider as he turned the limousine past an intersection before pulling the brakes.

"Yes. We need to get them to safety," she said as she slid the window shut. "Everyone, time to go. All of you have to get to somewhere safe," she ordered them, "They will be here any minute now. I'll hold them off as long as I can."

"What!? No, let us help!" protested Shirou.

"Shirou," spoke up Saber as she shook her head, "We are still not powerful enough to defeat Berserker. We have to withdraw."

"Keep your head with you, kid," Rider told him. Turning to the former Servant, "You don't mind any help, do you? This was my role in the 'Avoid Berserker' plan anyway." He received a nod as a reply.

"Sakura, can you make your own way back? Illya still doesn't know you're Assassin's Master and I'd like to keep it that way," asked Rin as she hurriedly got out of the limousine.

"Ah, don't worry. I'll be safe," she reassured as she crossed her arms over her chest. A dark shadow rose up to engulf her and then slowly sink into the earth.

"You two can go ahead. I'll stay with Rider," announced Luvia as she sat down in the passenger seat.

"One less person to worry about then," quipped Rin as she dragged the protesting boy with her, almost causing him to lose his balance.

"Just... keep your head down," Noel told her, feeling the shaking of the ground slowly increasing. Eventually, the Servant burst around the corner, his footing turning over the asphalt as it made shallow grooves in the road when he hastily stopped his charge. A little girl dressed in purple hopped off his shoulder and curtsied.

"Good evening. My name is Illyasviel von Einzbern," she greeted.

"Illyasviel... that name is similar to..." Noel muttered... and her eyes widened. White hair. Red eyes. Ten years ago, she met a similar person with those features. "You... did you know... someone named Irisviel?" Rider looked enquiringly at her, but she paid no heed to it.

She could see the girl stiffen. "How do you know that name?" she almost shouted.

"Ten years ago... I met her ten years ago during this very same War," the former Servant informed her.

If Illya had a reaction to her words, she couldn't tell. Then, she said, "... my quarrel isn't with you. Yes, I have many questions for you, but right now, I want to see my Onii-chan."

"I can't let you do that, Illyasviel," Noel told her as she got into her fight stance. Rider, taking her cue, got into a rough boxing stance.

"Then don't blame me for what I'm about to do," the Einzbern announced, "Berserker. Kill them."

The Servant of Madness drew out his swords and leaped towards them with a roar.

* * *

"Hey! Alright! Alright!" relented Shirou, "I won't run back to help them. Let go off my arm."

"Hmph. I find it hard to believe you after that stunt you pulled last night," the twin tailed magus retorted, letting go as he requested, "Even so, they should be fine. They are just delaying and running away from Berserker."

"I agree," spoke up Saber, "Berserker's rage empowers him the longer he is in battle. As long as they keep the battle short and then retreat, they should be safe."

"A wise choice."

Everyone spun around.

"Assassin!?" Saber shouted in disbelief, immediately gripping her invisible sword, "How do you still live!?" The other two widened their eyes in surprise.

"Very astute, Saber," stated the dark, shadowy figure before them, "As to how I still live? A secret."

"Wait! This is the Assassin from the previous War?" Rin exclaimed in disbelief.

"Master, Rin, retreat. Now," the Servant of the Sword ordered as she went in front of them, "I will hold Assassin off as long as I can."

The dark Servant let off a chuckle. "It seems you have gained a sense of humor, Saber," it stated, "As I recall, you were having great difficulty fending me off ten years ago."

She said nothing, but gripped her sword even tighter.

"If you think you can best me now... let us put it to the test," it continued as it gestured with its hand.

Saber leaped back as a shadow snake burst out from the ground. She charged forward, lopping off the snake's head as she made a beeline to the opposing Servant. With a yell, she stabbed it in the stomach. Much to her surprise, it simply burst into dust. Her senses screaming a warning, she spun around to catch sight of Assassin rising up behind the two unaware Masters.

"Shirou! Rin!"

Both sets of eyes widened and the Master's spun around. It made to attack them, but glided backward as Archer materialized and aimed his slashes at the chest.

"We seem to be getting an increasing number of enemies, Master," he stated sarcastically as he took a relaxed stance, "I sincerely hope you can decrease their numbers soon."

"What!? During the War, that's your job! Do I need to use another Command on you?" Rin retorted with a huff.

"Hmph, regardless, I'll take over from here," the Servant of the Bow stated as he turned his head to glance at them, "Saber, guard my Master well, or we will have words."

"Huh, you too? I suppose it's no use then," his Master muttered. Turning to Shirou, she said, "Emiya-kun, we better leave now."

"But..."

"No, we have to go," she interrupted, "This is the same situation as Berserker. Go... or do I need to drag you there? Perhaps Saber could have a turn doing it."

He frowned. "I don't like it... but..." he grumbled but ran with her anyway, Saber following after them.

"Amusing," said Assassin as Archer turned back to him, "No matter. I suppose I shall kill you instead."

"I do not intend to die tonight," the Counter Guardian declared as he suddenly charged forward, black and white angled behind him.

The shadowy Servant chuckled as it brought its hands up, ever ready.


	14. When Morning Comes

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

"How long?" Noel asked as Berserker began his leap.

"Eh? A few minutes, I guess?" Rider replied in surprise, assuming she was asking on how long to delay the Servant.

"...Good enough," she responded, "Split."

The both of them dashed to each side, the Servant of Madness slamming his swords on empty ground, cutting deep grooves in the tarred road. Without delay, she started firing at him, only for her shots to bounce off his blades. Of course, that was intentional; she didn't know exactly how his madness is triggered and she wasn't about to take any chances. So she kept it to easy-to-deflect shots. However, his next action took her by surprise. He charged forward, weathering the shots.

" _He figured it out!?_ " her thoughts yelled in surprise as she kept up the volley. She stepped back as Bolverk transformed to shotgun mode. She didn't need to do so. Rider rammed his shoulder into Berserker, charging in from the side. The Servant of Madness landed a few feet away. He didn't seem fazed, however; as the blades returned to his back, he grabbed the interrupter by the head, punched him in the face, and then rammed the dazed Servant into a nearby wall. He then turned his attention away from the groaning Servant and back to her. Swapping shotgun for Bolverk's original form, she stood there, ready for the now charging Servant.

Noel swung to her left, the barrel batting away the first swing. Quickly sidestepping a stab, she crossed Bolverk in front of her to block a rising slash. She backpedaled to avoid two more attacks as he moved forward. She flung the right revolver forward, the weapon spinning like a buzz saw as it traveled forward and returned to her hand, forcing Berserker to block low. With a yell, the now recovered Rider ran up and punched into the Mad Servant's temple. The ashen skinned Servant staggered to the side, but he quickly recovered and attacked, slicing from shoulder to hip... or at least, that was supposed to happen. A shining aura enveloped him as he raised his arms in defense, the jagged blades somehow sliding off them as the shine flared up.

"Optic Barrel!"

The blast pushed the Mad Servant only slightly. Yet, it was enough for him to turn back to her.

"Take this!" shouted Rider as he sent an uppercut to Berserker's chin, actually forcing the Servant to take a few steps back. He was glared at. The Servant of the Mount was then forced to leap back as the now-orange glowing blades were swung about from their chains. Once. Twice. The third swing tore up the tarred road with a burst of fire as the blades and chains dug into it. Berserker had to bring them back to shield himself when Noel started to rain shots on him.

"Crap... it's starting," Rider exclaimed worriedly.

"What do you mean!?" the former Servant asked loudly over the gunfire, clueless as to why the jagged swords were now glowing.

"We've got to go! Now!" he shouted back, "You don't wanna be here when he goes off."

"Alright!" she shouted her reply. She leaped into the air, preparing an attack she knew very well.

"Bullet Storm!"

She rained bullets on him. With a yell, he slammed the ground below him. The shields quickly piled up and the shots pinged off the barrier like a torrent of metal rain. With that, Rider quickly headed towards what was left of the limousine. Luvia, all the while watching her Servant's actions, quickly ran to the front passenger seat.

"Thor!"

The explosion flooded the area with light and sound.

* * *

Steel clashed with shadow. Red danced around black. Well, mostly, it seemed that only red was doing the dancing, and it troubled Archer.

" _What is Assassin waiting for_?" he wondered as he decided to halt and drew back to assess his opponent. At first, the shadowy... and supposed... former Servant seemed content to deflecting and blocking his attacks. At first, using a few gestures to call up a wall of shadow. Then, he became a bit more active by using its arms and hands, which struck him as odd. From that, Archer realized Assassin didn't seem to have any weapons on him. Slowly, the former Servant then started blocking his strikes entirely by just standing there while dark tendrils just lashed out to intercept the married swords. All the while without moving from his spot.

"Interesting..." muttered out Assassin, "To be called Archer and yet to fight with swords. You are truly interesting..."

He narrowed his eyes. "How do you know my class?" he asked the shadowy Servant warily.

"You do not need to know," the previous Assassin replied as it gestured, "Now, if you would be the first casualty of this War..."

"I refuse," he replied calmly, "I have yet to achieve my goal."

"A pity," it sounded as it took up a martial arts stance. Legs apart. Right palm held up and facing him. Left near its face, palm facing outward. A second ticked by before it moved, propelling itself towards him in two steps.

"Targeting my chest..." Archer deduced as his arms began to move by instinct... but he was taken aback when Assassin moved faster than anticipated. Before his counter was complete, the punch impacted his chest. His container was strong... yet the crushing weight of his chest was becoming more unbearable at an alarming weight. And then, the feeling was lifted and he found himself flying backward. He was still aware enough to land on his feet, but the distance that he was sent... it was quite substantial. A dull ache radiated around his chest, that sinking feeling was still pressing against him as the pain dulled. He found his breath short. That in itself was concerning.

"Surprised?" the shadowy being stated, as if to taunt, "There is much one can learn when browsing through the minds of others."

Archer clenched his teeth at the subtle hint as to where Assassin learnt how to do this. As jaded as he was about what he had become, there was no way that he would forgive what this shadow insinuated. He became even more stunned when he realized that his body now felt sluggish, as if all his energy has been drained off by the punch. " _Did it really shock my body that much_?" he groaned as he tried to at least get his arms up.

"Now, it is time..." it said as it slowly walked towards him, "... to send you to the Grail."

Suddenly, the ground rumbled and an explosion was heard. Assassin seemed to look past him, in the direction of where they came from previously. " _Was that their distraction_? _I highly doubt that Berserker would be fazed by it_ ," Archer mulled over while still keeping an eye on his opponent. He could feel the numbness slowly fading away though, so the distraction was welcome. He relaxed, standing a bit straighter as he ran over all possible counters in his mind.

It growled, "Another problem I must rectify." As it refocused on him, it continued, "Now... I believe I was going to kill you." With a gesture, four snakes burst out behind it and flew towards him.

He quickly jumped backward as the four shadows crashed into the ground where he once stood. Much to his annoyance, they resurfaced and made another lunge at him. At that moment, his ears caught wind of something familiar approaching. Inwardly smirking, he jumped up and somersaulted backward, neatly onto the tight leather seat. He took a glance behind him, feeling his annoyance rising at the absence of his shadowy opponent. " _Tch, it seems he escaped_ ," he noted. Turning his attention to the front he called out, "It seems you are right on time, Rider."

"Huh! At first, I wondered why Noel here told me to step on it," the Servant replied as he continued driving, "Then, Luvia here told me to do it as well. How can I refuse?"

"I doubt he died," Noel muttered aloud, "Still, I'll take this as a win."

"This is tiresome," grumbled Luvia, "Why are more enemies coming out of nowhere? When did this War get so complicated?"

" _When indeed_?" he groaned inwardly, agreeing with her words. This wasn't how he remembered it at all.

* * *

Nothing else occurred and with everyone safely in their homes, Noel had a good night's sleep. Waking up to the relief that nobody else had died that night, the morning went on as normal. As normal as it could get for her. The last ten years had improved her life somewhat. While admittedly she was still a terrible cook, she at least was able to learn how to properly boil and fry an egg as well as take care of most instant meals. She was still trying to handle hash browns, even though she almost burned down Waver's kitchen the one time she decided to visit him. However, that morning, she didn't want to risk it. So all she did was a quick hard boiled with some milk to wash it down. Then, it was time to make the call.

"...You're lucky I haven't gone to sleep yet, Noel," stated a rather tired voice.

"Er, sorry?" she apologized sheepishly as she made a face, "But really, I had no other choice. Bazett didn't believe my warnings and..."

"Bazett? Where have I heard..." Waver muttered, "Noel, what in the world is going on down there? Why are you speaking to an Enforcer?"

"Ah... well, it's a long story..." she started as she told him what had been happening the past few days.

A tired sigh drone out of the receiver as he asked, "All this happened... and you didn't think to tell me?"

"I... was going to?" she replied hesitantly, "Sorry! But still, what about..." She heard a knock on the door. "Ah, I think I hear her! Please hold on," she told him hurriedly.

"What? Wait just..."

Putting down the phone, she ran to the door and unlocked it. "Good morning!" she greeted as she opened it. The serious looking Irish woman returned her greeting softly as she stepped inside. Noel quickly closed the door and followed after her. She retrieved the phone and asked, "Waver?"

"Would you let me finish before you put me on hold?" he complained.

"Ah... Bazett is here! So, please have a word with her," she said jovially as she handed the phone off to the Enforcer.

"...Fine..."

"Good morning. Am I speaking to Waver Velvet?" the Irish Master asked once she placed the receiver to her ear.

Noel let out a relieved sigh as she sat down. Her visitor's voice was slowly blocked out as she considered what she learned last night. " _It seems Illya is so hell bent on getting her hands on Emiya, she probably won't listen to whatever I have to say_ ," she mulled over, " _Caster... hmm, I never did ask if they contacted Caster, did I? Huh, should've asked them yesterday_..."

"I am done." announced Bazett suddenly as she held the phone in front of the former Servant. She blinked as she took it back. "I will let myself out now," the Enforcer informed before leaving.

"Oh," she could only sound out as she stared at the Irish woman.

"Noel."

"Eh? You're still on?" she exclaimed in surprise almost jumping out of her chair.

"I only confirmed that little story you told them. Was that the only thing you revealed to them?"

"At most... I thought only the parts leading up to the battle with Caster was enough to convince them," she began explaining, "They weren't entirely convinced... but at least they are a bit more wary and stopped the fighting for now."

"I doubt that the Mediator would take too kindly to the news that the War has suddenly stopped."

"About that... it's Kirei," she revealed.

"...I see..."

"You don't sound surprised," she stated with narrowed eyes.

"It wasn't confirmed, but there have been rumors of an Executor using his name to team up with a few enforcers. It seems that they are true."

Noel sighed. "Also, there are other things happening too. Remember the battle we had with Caster?"

"What of it?"

"Remember those... things? They are showing up again," she informed him, concern creeping into her tone. She could hear him sigh in turn.

"This is enough proof for me. I'm sorely tempted to come down there myself... then again, that also means informing 'her'... Are you sure you can handle this yourself, Noel?"

"I can do this," she confirmed resolutely, "I won't let another disaster happen again."

He sighed again and said, "Let me know if you need anything else then. Goodbye."

"Good night, Waver," she replied as she hung up. Placing the phone on the table, she hoped things won't become more difficult than it already is.

* * *

Slowly, Shirou sat up in his bed. Carefully, he pulled up his sleeve and examined his arm. It was fine.

" _That dream... it felt so real_ ," he thought as he continued with his morning routine. However, when he reached for his uniform, he froze.

" _Oh, right... school has been closed..._ " he remembered, thinking back to yesterday's events. "Shinji..." he muttered as he clenched his fist, "I will save you." He truly believed that his friend was possessed by that book. If they get that book away from him, then there is a chance. Taking a bit more time to calm himself down, he changed into his daily clothes and headed straight for the kitchen.

"Good morning, senpai!" greeted Sakura jovially. She seemed unaffected by the excitement of the previous night, already in the kitchen taking care of breakfast.

"Ah, good morning, Sakura," he returned the greeting, taking his spot at the table as she had already placed a few dishes.

She came to the table, rice bowls on a tray as well as the other utensils. He helped her set up the table. "Ah, can you help to serve the soup, senpai?" she requested as she took off her apron, "I want to check up on Rin-senpai."

Nodding his head, Shirou did as she requested with the tray she left behind. The five bowls were set down just in time for the violet haired girl to usher in a protesting twin tailed magus.

"Sakura, I've already told you, I don't usually eat breakfast," the latter stated as she futilely tried to tug herself away.

"Rin-senpai, breakfast is the most important meal of the day," the former lectured her.

Eventually, Rin had no choice but to take a seat. The scene was so odd to Shirou that he didn't know whether if he should laugh or not. So, he just kept staring at them. Thankfully, his actions went unnoticed as something else took precedence.

"SHIROU! FOOD!"

Taiga ran through the door and smoothly landed in her seat, miraculously not knocking the table over in the process. "Oh, this looks amazing!" she praised.

"Fuji-nee, Sakura prepared breakfast today," he corrected.

"Thank you, Sakura!" exclaimed the teacher happily as she clapped her hands.

"Ah, there is no need to thank me, sensei," the girl protested politely as she sat next to him.

Then, in came Saber, greeting everyone in turn before taking sitting on his other side.

"Itadakimasu!"

Breakfast progressed smoothly, the sound of cutlery clinking as the chopsticks knocked against bowls and dishes. The silence was new to him. Normally, Taiga would be a bit chatty, even if she was eating. It showed that yesterday's events weighed so much that even Taiga was quiet. A bit unsettling, but he carried on eating until breakfast was over. The teacher then got up, said her thanks, and announced in her more usual happy tone, "Alright, I'll see everyone later. I've got students to check up on."

"Eh? Check up on?" repeated Shirou aloud, wondering what got into his supposed guardian. Why was she so eager to check up on her students today?

"Of course! It's my duty as a teacher, after all," affirmed Taiga as she made her way out, "Make sure to have dinner for me, Shirou!"

The other four occupants of the room stared at her. A few minutes after she left, Rin let out a sigh of relief and said, "I thought she would never leave."

Feeling suspicious, he narrowed his eyes and asked, "Tohsaka... what did you do?"

"Oh, I left a hypnotic suggestion... 'check up on students'... with her," the twin tailed magus explained, "I thought it would give us time to plan out the day. Unless you have forgotten already..."

"I haven't," he muttered, his mind going back to Shinji. He frowned and continued, "But, you didn't have to hypnotize her. Wouldn't she be thinking about it already? We could have just mentioned it over breakfast."

"Uhm, I don't agree with what Rin-senpai did, but there might not be any other choice," interjected Sakura, "With how down she was yesterday, she might not even want to go out. At least, she has something to do to get her mind off things."

"Thank you, Sakura. Now, with Bazett and Lancer being a little more neutral to us, we have to think of ways to deal with Caster and... Illya," Rin quickly presented.

"Er... Rin-senpai, shouldn't we have Edelfelt-senpai here with us?" asked the violet haired girl, "I mean... she is part of this alliance after all..."

"Hello!" exclaimed a voice, "Did someone mention me?"

Everyone looked towards the doorway, the blonde Master acting triumphant and smug in her return to the house. The smile was then gone in an instant the moment she noticed Rin. Wordlessly, she made her way to the table and took a seat.

"Can I have a word with you, Rin?" she said with a smile. Looking confused and frowning, said girl nodded and motioned the blonde to follow her.

Shirou turned to Sakura and asked, "What do you think that was about?" She just shrugged, just as confused.

"Shirou, if there isn't anything else, I shall be returning to my room," informed Saber as she stood up.

* * *

Luvia slammed the sliding door shut, the wood giving out a muted bang. "You have some explaining to do, Tohsaka," she said as she glared at the twin tailed magus, arms akimbo.

"Eh? What about?" was Rin's reply.

"There is something wrong with your senior at the church," she said as she crossed her arms.

"Wait... you went to see him?" the Tohsaka muttered in surprise. Then she narrowed her eyes and shouted, "He is the mediator! Didn't Noel say not to tell him anything!?"

"You're lucky I did, you fool!" she retorted back, "Your family makes use of gem magecraft, just as mine has. So your senior should know that as well, right?"

"What are you getting at?" Rin grumbled.

"How in the world did he learn how to control shadows?" Luvia questioned. A pair of wide eyes watched her as she explained, "How in the world did he know how to make shadow snakes and shadow weapons and who knows what else?"

The former was unable to say a word. Eventually, she asked, "What... wait, when were you going to bring this up?"

"I would have brought this up yesterday but with us visiting Miss MacKenzie, it slipped my mind," the Edelfelt replied, "And I'm still waiting for my answer, Tohsaka. What is going on with your senior?"

"Hey, this is the first time I've ever heard of this," the twin tailed magus protested, "And he has never demonstrated any capability of using any sort of shadow manipulation or magecraft in front of me."

"Which begs the question, how did he learn it?" Luvia stated as she cradled her arms, "Surely there was no way he could learn it on his own."

"Of course, just ask the one who has no idea how he did," the Tohsaka retorted as she moved to walk past her.

"Where are you going?" the latter asked the former as the other magus slid open the door.

"If you must know, I was going to get everyone out of the house today," the former said as she turned to face her, "I was thinking of paying a visit to the Einzbern castle."

"If you're feeling suicidal, go ahead, but please leave dear Shirou out of that insane plan of yours," Luvia said with a smile that guaranteed pain for anyone that disagreed.

"Oh? 'Dear Shirou'? I didn't know you were with him," as Rin took on a thinking pose, and then she went into a more relaxed stance with a little smirk as she continued, "Oh, wait! You haven't even given him a confession, so you aren't."

"Why you..." the Edelfelt growled out.

"Ne, Rin-senpai, is everything alright?" Sakura asked, suddenly appearing around the corner.

"What? No. No. Everything's fine!" exclaimed the twin tailed magus with a grin, "It wasn't like I put a certain someone in their place."

"Another thing I forgot to mention," grounded out a seething Edelfelt, "Rider found Illya a few days ago, wandering around the other side of the city, past the river. It seems she prefers to do her searching in person."

"Hmm, I guess the visit could wait then," muttered Rin as she took in the new piece of information. Then, she held up her finger and declared, "Then it's settled. We hunt for Illya in Shinto."


	15. Power

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

Sakura was in a daze.

The day started out in a surprising way. At first she was shocked and scared when Rin suddenly declared that they were going to hunt for Illya in the Shinto side of Fuyuki. The amusing sight of her former sister arguing with Luvia after the former made fun of her new form of transport didn't help. Though, the thought of Luvia using a common car... well, it was still quite a big car... perked her up a bit. Her spirits were lifted when they headed to Noel's house before Shinto... and then they were dropped to the floor when Rin suggested they split up into groups to cover more ground. She sent Archer to look out for them from above. Her fears transformed into joy when she was paired up with her Senpai.

She would spend the afternoon and early evening with her Senpai.

Her Senpai.

Alone.

With her.

Sakura did not show how ecstatic she was, but it was made even greater when Rin grouped herself with Luvia. She truly appreciated the fact that her secret friend was willing to help her with this. Although... she wouldn't want to wish Luvia onto anyone. With Noel and Saber on the third team, they split off after affirming that they would meet at the bridge at the end of the day.

Then... it was sort of unfortunate for her, as being alone with Shirou is good and all... but as he was not quite up to par as a magus, it fell to her to keep an especial lookout for their quarry. It was difficult, wanting to just enjoy the moments walking with him while remaining watchful at the same time. Still, she treasured every second of it, even though they hardly talked.

And then, she appeared.

"Take me to the arcade, onii-chan."

That's all Illya said. With a cute face. While both of them were taken aback, the little albino girl came nearer and put on such an adorable face that her Senpai said yes. Suddenly, she found herself getting dragged along with him to the nearest arcade. As she had never played these sort of things before, she could only stand back and watch as the little girl demanded him to teach her how to play whichever game struck her fancy. She was concerned, as at times she would catch a glimpse of his unease when she would look at her there, his eyes saying 'Sorry' to her. She was worried. Was that the girl's plan? To tire him? To wear him out? Before she killed him? With that in mind, she made sure to keep them close by the whole one and a half hours they spent there.

With a sigh, Shirou sat down on the bench. Sakura could see clearly how relieved he was to be out of the arcade. Sitting to his left, Illya was busy licking her vanilla ice cream. Letting loose a sigh of her own, she sat next to her Senpai. They sat there in silence, accompanied only the slight rustling of the shadow tree above them that protected them from the afternoon sun.

"Illya, you should know..." he suddenly began.

"I know," the Einzbern immediately cut him off, "Rider told me."

"Then why are..."

"Because you still owe me, onii-chan," she said with an innocent smile. Yet, Sakura could tell that it was anything but.

"Why do you need to be so persistent?" the violet haired girl suddenly spoke up, getting off her seat to face the albino magus, "Isn't the tainted 'item' more important than..."

"Hmph, more important?" the little Einzbern retorted with a glare unbecoming of her, "You have obviously no idea what you're talking about, Sakura Matou. Yes, I know of you, even though there is barely anything about you." The both of them continued the stare-off before the later continued calmly but with anger laced in her tone, "What do you know about being abandoned by your own father? That he decided that some random boy of the street was more important than his own daughter?"

"I don't know about the second, but I know fully well what it means to be abandoned," the former replied with a bit of bitterness, sadly noting the shocked face of her Senpai, "My own parents gave me up just to focus on my sister. I know such a thing would probably be typical of a normal magus family, but it still hurts. So, don't think to lecture me on feeling abandoned."

"Sakura..." she heard him mutter as she caught his stare. Pink dusted her cheeks, as she turned away from him.

The sound of slow claps jolted them out of their discussion. She turned into their direction and muttered in shock, "Nii-san..."

"My, my, Sakura," the blue haired boy said arrogantly as he crossed his hands over his chest, "Airing your filth out in the open is unbecoming of a Matou."

* * *

The air between them was tense. It helped that they were preoccupied with keeping their eye out for the Master they were looking for.

"You know, we've been walking for two hours and we still haven't found her," said Rin nonchalantly, "Are you sure she would be here? It could just be a one time thing."

"To be honest, Rider has only met her once," Luvia admitted, which sounded a little odd to the Tohsaka, "However, since she actually found Rider, who's to say if she assumed she would stumble on one of us if she tried hard enough."

"Hmph, I suppose that is a reasonable assumption," she agreed. Then, she spotted Rider coming out of a shop in front of them. "Rider?" she muttered.

"What were you doing in that shop?" questioned Luvia incredulously, "I thought you had something so important that you had to let us walk."

"Oh, I was just checking this out," the Servant replied as he held up a rectangular-shaped metal object, "This player stopped working after our clash with Lancer the other night." He scratched his head as he continued, "So far, nobody could find out what's wrong with it, and I visited all the electronic shops on the street."

"Hmph, all this effort for some 'player'?" muttered Rin with disbelief, as she normally doesn't interact with that many modern and mostly more complex devices.

"Hey, I like to listen to music from time to time when I get the chance," he retorted good-naturedly as he slipped the music player into his suit, "Besides, your world has some good music."

"So are you done? If so, please bring the car around. I rather not walk any more than I have to," the blonde magus ordered.

"Yeah, I'm going," he replied as he went past them, "Sit tight, I'll be back soon."

"As if we would be going anywhere," the Edelfelt said with a smirk.

"I don't think we should search by car," Rin protested earnestly, "We can be more thorough on foot."

" _Rin_."

She blinked and paused to focus on the voice, " _Archer_?"

" _I found Illya. She is with Shirou and Sakura... and Shinji is there_."

"Eh!?" she exclaimed aloud, drawing not only Luvia's attention, but also two other passers-by.

"What are you doing, Rin?" asked the Edefelt curiously. At that moment, the car rolled up to them, stopping by the sidewalk.

"We have to go. He found them," was all Rin said as she quickly ran over and entered the vehicle. " _Archer._ "

" _I know. I'm heading to Saber right now._ "

_"Good. Where are they right now_?" she asked as Luvia quickly clambered in after her and shut the door.

" _They are..._ "

* * *

"Hey, Saber? Remember when we first met each other?" asked Noel as she stood outside the store. The front window still looked the same, with a multitude of plush toys on full display.

"I believe you mean the first time you sat down with us in peace," Saber replied as she stood beside the former Servant, "Until now, I never would have thought you to be fond of toys like these."

"H-hey!" she answered with a pout, "It doesn't make me any less of a fighter even though I like cute things. Don't you have anything you liked when you were a kid?"

Saber shook her head and muttered, "I never had much time for such things. All my time was poured into becoming a knight."

"Eh? You never had any time for a little fun?" she asked in surprise.

The Servant of the Sword shook her head and stated, "All my life, I knew that I would be king. I had no explanation for it, but it felt like it was my destiny. So, I trained. Trained to become a knight. To be someone who kills to protect others. Not once did I ever falter, becoming stronger day by day until that fateful morning where I rose above everyone else to be chosen."

Noel could only stare at her and her little speech. She let out a sigh and went back to staring at the plush toys; she decided to reign in her feelings and not show the Servant any pity, feeling that the female warrior wouldn't want any given to her. Still, she still felt sad for her.

"Are you done? We should continue to scout the area for Illya," reminded Saber as she turned to move on.

Silently, the former Servant followed after her, moving a bit more quickly to be side by side with her. A pair of friends walking around the more modern side of the city. Not a word was spoken as the both of them were trying to be aware of their surroundings and attempting to spot anything out of the ordinary. Like another Master.

"Saber," Noel suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence, "Even after telling me that, do you still wish to undo your actions? Even if you are going against your destiny to do so?"

"I only made things worse as king," Saber immediately replied, "Yes, I brought victory against the enemies of my country. Yet the wars I dragged my country through wrecked it, especially the last one. I only made things worse." She stopped at the corner of the road and faced the police officer, "I may be destined to be king, but my country deserves better than me. I would gladly sacrifice myself in order to prevent its destruction, even if it means giving up the legend."

She shook her head and sighed, "Ah, you're really persistent, Saber."

"You disagree with my choice?" the former asked in return.

"Well... it's not my place to tell you if your decision is right or wrong," she said carefully, "But... let's see this from another angle. Would you affect any other legendary heroes if you were never chosen to be king? Let's say... Lancelot?" Noting the narrowed eyes and the tensing up, she continued, "Yes, I looked up your legend. You shouted out your sword's name, remember? It was narrowed down to only one... and a whole other list of heroes associated with it. Heroes who would not exist if it weren't for yours."

"Why are you bringing this up now?" Saber asked her, the stare becoming glaring.

"I... I'm just giving you a bit more information, that's all," said Noel, thinking now was the time to ease up the tension, "You should consider everything your decision may affect, that's all."

They stared at each other for a moment. She didn't know what to expect. Would she start shouting at her? Give her the cold shoulder?

"My decision still stands," the Servant told her, "But... thank you for your opinion."

She nodded. "Well, now that I got this off my chest, let's..." she started when Saber's head suddenly snapped to a different direction. She turned, catching sight of Archer motioning them to follow him. They looked at each other for a moment before going after him, careful not to arouse any suspicion. Turning into a back alley, Archer turned around and told them something surprising.

"Illya is with your Master now. Shinji is there too."

* * *

"Shinji..."

"Ah, Emiya, just the person I want to see," exclaimed Shinji, suddenly shifting to jovial, still sporting that haughty smile, "I have a proposition for you."

"Shinji, why did you attack the school?" Shirou asked seriously, finally overcoming his surprise, "Was it that book, Shinji? Please, get rid of it. Don't let it corrupt you any longer."

"Firstly, you are quite mistaken. The book had nothing to do with my decision to attack the school," the blue haired boy told him, "Granted, the rituals it provided helped immensely. The power gained far outweighed the cost."

"How could you!?" the red head shouted at him, "How could you talk like that!? They had nothing to do with..."

"Really? Compared to what I've gained?" he sneered.

"Senpai, we need to keep it down. You might attract attention," reminded Sakura. Turning her attention to Shinji, she asked, "Why are you doing this, nii-san? I thought we agreed that..."

"Hah! After having its secrets revealed to me, why should I wait?" he declared, "I have the power to return my family name to greatness once again. Of course, that comes back to my proposition. The second thing." He then extended his hand out towards Shirou, as if to shake his hand.

"Join me."

"... What?" the red head muttered in surprise.

"Join me and you can have power too," he offered, "Power beyond your wildest dreams."

"Why would I... you are killing people, Shinji," Shirou retorted, "I refuse."

The boy chuckled darkly. "Even a hero needs a bit of power to fight evil, Emiya," he stated with a sneer to the wide eyed boy.

"... Nii-san, stop this," Sakura finally said after getting a hold of herself, "You have to stop this. At the rate you are proceeding, you will bring the Enforcers on you."

"Let them come," he said with a smirk, "By the time I've uncovered all its secrets, nothing can stop me."

"Maybe you should stop raising your voice, soon you will be drawing a crowd," spoke up Illya calmly, "For all your bold words, they have only proven to be hot air so far."

"Hmph, be quiet, the adults are speaking," Shinji retorted haughtily, but also lowering his voice.

She did not give out any visible reaction, only a death-like glare.

"Well, my offer stands, Emiya," the blue haired boy stated as he crossed his arms in front of him, "If you change your mind, you can find me here tonight. Only tonight."

"Shirou!"

They turned to look as Saber and Noel ran up to them from behind the three Masters. The officer on leave narrowed her eyes when she caught sight of Shinji. "Matou Shinji..."

"Remember my offer, Emiya," the boy said once more before walking away, "My offer stands until tonight." Very nonchalantly, he walked away. He didn't even stop to greet the two heiresses' that froze as he went by.

"... No, Archer. It would look too suspicious," Rin muttered as the two girls walked over to the group.

"I think I'll go too," said Illya as she hopped off the bench, "Bye bye."

"Wait! What about..."

"Hmph, don't bother trying to convince me, I refuse," the little girl declared, shutting up the Edelfelt heiress. Turning to Sakura, she told her, "I shall give you time to settle your house. Do not mistake this for kindness. I still want my onii-chan's head."

"... So... what now?" asked Rider as he came up to them, the little albino leaving.

"Why did Nii-san ask Senpai to meet him here?" Sakura spoke up, drawing the attention of the Masters and Servants present, "Why only tonight? What is he going to do?"

"More importantly, why me?" asked Shirou in confusion, "I doubt I would be of any help to him. I can barely do anything..." His shoulders slumped over as he muttered, "Yeah, I could barely do anything to help."

"Senpai..." the violet haired girl sounded worriedly.

"... We didn't make any progress either," muttered Rin in annoyance, crossing her arms in a huff.

"Perhaps we should return to Shirou's house for now," suggested Luvia, "At least until we plan out our next move."

* * *

Caster looked to the night sky. She shifted a little, her place on the top of the temple steps moving to the right. Silently, Souichirou halted behind her, following her gaze.

"I am curious, Caster," he began, "Why do you look to the night sky? You have never done so before."

She sighed. Getting to her feet, she said, "There is something wrong. Tell me Kuzuki, What do you see over the city, past the river?"

The teacher adjusted his glasses and looked to where she mentioned. "Other than being cloudy, I do not see anything out of the ordinary."

"Hmm, then perhaps only magic users can sense it," she assumed as she crossed her arms, "Trails of purple and red are coming from the sky and towards the center of the city, all converging onto one place. The inherent wrongness I felt at the school is strong. Far too strong." Turning to her temporary anchor, she continued, "I do hope that the other Servants can handle whatever trouble is brewing there."

"You do not wish to join them," he stated.

"No. I think five or six should be enough," she replied, explaining herself, "I doubt any of the knight classes could stand idle when there is something foul about to happen. They won't be able to call themselves heroes otherwise."

"Oh, I quite agree."

The both of them spun around, surprised by the voice behind them. A man, dressing in black. Long hair framed his face and long robes flowed well with his height. He sported an unnerving smirk, making him menacing if only slightly. He had his arms clasped behind his body as he stared at them.

"Well, I don't recall having any visitors," Caster spoke up, finally getting a hold of herself, "Who are you?" Kuzuki, meanwhile, readied himself to retaliate, yet giving nothing away.

"You couldn't have known of me," the man said, still maintaining his pose, "I am the mediator of this War, and I am puzzled as to why there hasn't been any Servant deaths lately."

"It still doesn't explain why you are here, Mediator," she retorted, "Nor do I care for your reason. Their deaths will come at my own time, not by yours."

"A pity. I hoped to have the War progress a bit faster," he said with a sigh. Then, he began staring intently at her.

"In that case, let us start with yours."

* * *

The journey back to Shinto was a quiet affair. Once again, Taiga was sent to sleep by hypnosis, in spite of Shirou's vehement protests. By then, Luvia arrived at his doorstep and everyone was on their way across the river. Having arrived there, they kept an eye out for Shinji. They did not have to.

"Well, I only expected Shirou," the blue haired boy mentioned as he cradled the book in his left arm, "So! Emiya... what's your answer?"

"...I decline," the red head declared, "Shinji... I'll do everything I can to save you from that book."

Much to his surprise and the suspicion of the others, the elder Matou started to giggle, which in turn morphed into full blown laughter. "I knew there was a reason I kept you around me, Emiya," he said after having his fill, "Fine. So you won't join. It doesn't matter. Regardless of your answer, I suggest you and whomever wishes to follow to come to the park. I have something extremely interesting to show you." And to their shock, the boy melted away into nothingness, as if it was just an image they were speaking to.

"... I don't like this," Rin finally said.

"Hmph, I agree. He seemed a bit too happy to see us," agreed Luvia reluctantly.

"... We better go to the park then," summed up Shirou as they all returned to the car. Much to their surprise, they received another passenger.

"Hello. How did your meeting go?" asked Noel, standing next to it. They filled her in on the way to their next destination.

The park was quiet. The wooded area seemed larger than before due to the darkness and shadows. Saber took point while the four Masters followed up behind her with Shirou in the middle, carefully walking along the trail while keeping an eye out for sudden movements or anything out of place. This led to a more gruesome discovery.

"Wh-wh-what? How?" Shirou sputtered in shock as he slumped to his knees, horrified by the scene. The others grew tense, wary, and ready to react.

The bodies of two police officers lay in the middle of a huge circle that was drawn in blood. At the very center stood Shinji, his clothes untouched by any red that stained the ground. He spread his arms, still keeping a good grip on the worn tome, announcing, "Welcome, Emiya. Tonight, you will see true power."

"Bolverk," stated Noel as she glared at the boy, her guns forming in her hands. Saber readied herself as well, her sword up and on guard.

"What in the world are you doing, Matou?" confronted Rin, "Have you lost your mind? Has the book twisted you that much?"

He laughed as he brought his hands back down, "No, Tohsaka... my mind is very much very clear. Clearer than ever before."

"Nii-san..." muttered Sakura in shock, unable to believe her own stepbrother would be capable of doing this.

"I doubt the Clocktower would stand for this if your actions reveal magecraft's existence to the world," said Luvia, steeling herself for a potential fight that she could see herself winning.

"After this display, I doubt they would be able to do anything," he replied, brushing off the warning like it was nothing.

"Why... why did you do this, Shinji?" the red head finally spoke up, overcoming his shaken state.

"Well, the book says that the summoning requires plenty of sacrifices," began the elder Matou, "You remember all the rumors about the park, don't you Emiya? About random people suddenly going missing the past ten years? Of the supposed hauntings and ghost stories plaguing the park? It was merely the book harvesting sacrifices to gain power, the two officers here being the latest ones. It will be a great summoning, one that will trump all the other Servants here. That itself will bring back the renown my family name has lost over the years. I will be the one to bring it back! All this will be done through their sacrifice. And... as the book has shown me, power does require sacrifice."

Saber and Noel narrowed their eyes. That phrase was something they knew all too well. Even after so much time in between Wars, memories of their most dangerous adversary left a mark on them. Before they could do anything, however, a flash of white burst in from the side. The blade of the spear passed through the midsection cleanly, yet there was no blood.

"An illusion," Lancer stated as she stood upright, "To think your corruption has brought you this far... you must be destroyed."

The now revealed illusion chuckled darkly and replied, "The book has been in this place for ten years. The park is its territory. It was folly of you to try anything in the first place... Eldar."

The Servant shifted slightly but gave no other visible reaction. Footsteps thudded behind the group and Bazett jogged up to them. She took in a deep breath before taking in the surroundings. She didn't bat an eyelid to the corpses and the blood, as if having seen it all before.

"Knowing what I am does not change the outcome," Lancer finally said after that silence, "Your summoning will be stopped."

"Oh? Who says it will?" he taunted with a manic grin. The ground started to rumble lightly and the great circle of red began to glow blood red. Multiple shafts of light shot up to trace a similar looking circle two or three stories above it. "The summoning had already started the moment you entered the park!" he declared with a grin. Taking a bow, he said, "Now, I shall take my leave."

The Masters watched helplessly as the image faded away. Lancer let out a visible sigh and muttered, "It seems it falls to me to fix your mistakes, mon-keigh."

"What in the world is happening!?" shouted Rin, the first to speak up.

"A greater daemon," the Servant of the Spear replied, her back to them as she faced the summoning circle, now crackling with red lightning, "Possibly the first to be summoned on your world... and the last. It must be defeated here or all is lost."

"Rin," Archer called out as he landed beside her, "I don't suppose you have a plan for this."

"How do you think I'm supposed to plan for this?" she retorted angrily as she pointed at the circle, "How in the world do you stop a demon?"

"Whatever it is, it's going to be huge," said Rider as he and Assassin materialized, ready to fight, "Not sure if the fighting will spill out of the park, but I hope it won't come to it."

"It will not have to," declared the Servant of the Bow. He turned to the twin tailed magus and said, "Rin, you may have to sit this one out."

"Why?" she asked, eyes narrowed. The other Masters stared at him, having no idea what he was talking about.

"I thought long and hard," he continued, ignoring her question, "This situation is forcing my hand. As much as I loathe to use it in front of the other Masters, I must."

"What in the world are you talking about, Archer?" she pressed on, getting irritated by his deflection.

He took in a deep breath. The wind started to pick up, the trees began to sway, the gusts seemingly centered around him.

" **I am the bone of my sword...** "


	16. Boundary

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

"A wise choice," stated Lancer.

" **Steel is my body and Fire is my blood...** "

"What do you mean, Lancer?" asked Rin, her hair moving with the gusts of wind present. The Masters could only stare while the other three Servants gripped their weapons... or in Rider's case, his fists, as they got ready to fight off the supposed greater daemon.

" **I have created over a thousand Blades...** "

"Chaos does not operate on simple sorcery like your world does," Lancer explained slowly, as if talking to a child, "While that mon-keigh cultist lacks in psychic power, the cursed book more than compensates..."

" **Unknown to Death, Nor known to Life...** "

"Power comes from the Immaterium. It comes from the lifeblood spilled on the ground. It comes from the flesh, both dead and living..."

The rumbling intensifies as the circle was fully traced in the air.

" **Have withstood pain to create many weapons...** "

"Greatest of all, it comes from the psychic emotions present here. Did the cultist not say that the cursed item controls the entire area?"

The bodies and the blood used to create the circle started to float upwards.

" **Yet, those hands will never hold anything...** "

"Even now, I can sense a myriad of things. Despair. Hope. Fear. Terror. And more recently... Rage."

Drop by drop, the red liquid suspended in the air as if frozen in time. The bodies liquefied, the slurry behaving in a similar fashion.

" **So, as I pray...** "

"If you wish to fight, mon-keigh, be prepared for battle immediately, for it will not wait for you," she concluded as she gripped her spear. The drops of fallen life suddenly coalesced to the center, forming a pulsating red ball. For a mere second...

" **Unlimited Blade Works.** "

The ball exploded outwards, becoming a fine mist. From within, a loud inhuman roar was bellowed out and the falling spray revealed a large winged horror with blood red skin and bat-like wings. At the same time, fire blazed outwards from Archer in a circular manner. Fire with no heat, but consumed the ground with great intensity and all became white as the Masters covered their blinded eyes.

* * *

"Where did they go!?" shouted Shinji as he stepped out from behind a tree, the open book floating behind him, "Where is that thing I summoned? That Greater Demon?" The book flew around him and presented its pages.

_It is merely a Reality Marble, Master. The Rider from the previous War had one as well_.

"Reality... Marble?" the Matou repeated slowly, his anger cut short to growling, "Why haven't I heard of this?"

_It does not matter. All we need to know is that one of the Servants has a Reality Marble and the Khornate has been brought inside it, as are the other Servants and Masters present in the vicinity_.

"Hmph, fine. I might look it up next time," he replied, calming down. He paused to take a better look at the summoning area. All trace of his preparations, as well as all the Masters and Servants that were present, were all gone. It was mind boggling. Then, he asked, "Your Master participated in the previous War?"

_Indeed. Unfortunately, he perished in the very same Reality Marble the past Rider had_.

"I see..." he mulled over, but soon said triumphantly, "Still, that Khornate thing we summoned would have no problem defeating them."

_Maybe... though, the Bloodthirster summoned was one of the more shorter ones I have witnessed_.

At that, his mind shut down for a moment.

"Shorter... ones...?"

* * *

"Avenger."

The skinny, blue haired Servant jumped out of his inky blackness and swung his giant weapon out, cutting down the giant snakes that suddenly sprouted out of the ground. As easily as they appeared, they dissipated, revealing the mediator from before covered in a single piece of clothing. To Caster it was odd, but at that moment, it didn't matter. The mediator sought her death, and she wasn't intending to die any time soon. However, she would freely offer death to him.

"Hmm, it seems we have another oddity here," he said as he slipped into a stance, "No matter, all will fall in the end." Then, a weird black substance spread over his head, totally enveloping it. The eye sockets began to glow a deep red.

Inwardly, she was a bit startled. Only a bit. The mediator didn't look very human anymore... and the fact that it reminded her of that shadow monster that the she-devil, that repulsive woman, sent after her. This thought only served to raise her ire even further.

"Avenger, kill him."

The order spurred the Servant of Vengeance to cackle even more as he threw out his giant shuriken, aimed at the shadow mediator who was dashing forward. At the last moment, he gestured and a black barrier rose to block the weapon. As the shuriken flew back, the barrier dropped and the mediator was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, a black hole appeared below Avenger and a black fish-like creature shot out and knocked him into the air. It followed up by gaining larger fins and slamming the Servant onto the ground. As he skidded over to Caster, the fish melted into the floor and out came the mediator.

With a cry of anger, Avenger got up and leaped at him.

* * *

The sky was choked with red dust and smoke. Huge cogs clanked and whirred in the distance. The land was barren. Arid and dusty and red. As far as the eye can see, swords decorated the earth, stabbed into it blade first, making them look like gravestones of fallen warriors. This is what they saw then it was made manifest.

"A Reality Marble..." muttered Rin in awe as she took in the information. The other Masters were quite amazed as well, although Bazett was hiding hers quite well. Shirou then grimaced as he suddenly held the side of his head, Sakura saying his name with worry.

Archer scowled as he glanced at them, catching Shirou in his sights, "This is my soul. Tread lightly."

"Well, this is really something," commented Rider. Assassin said nothing, only keeping close to Sakura.

"To think you had the power to create your own dimension," stated Lancer, "You must have manifested great control over your psychic powers in life, mon-keigh spirit."

"You can address me as Archer, Lancer," replied the Servant of the Bow, quickly noting the summoned daemon's reaction. It seemed to be as stunned as everyone else was. But not for long, as it let loose a great roar and proceeded to charge at them, raising its giant axe high above its horned head. Instantly, he materialized his bow and had already notched an arrow to it. He seemed to mutter something as he let it fly. Surprisingly, the horned daemon stopped and swung its great weapon, deflecting the arrow with a loud explosion.

Sakura glanced to her side, noting the patches of darkness that were slowly dissipating. "Assassin?" she said in surprise, wondering where he went to.

"Up there," said Rider, drawing the attention of the Masters. Assassin stood on the shoulder of the beast, slashing its neck. Unfortunately, the cuts were shallow and only served to enrage the greater daemon. It grabbed after him with its free hand, but he merely teleported away in a flash of darkness, appearing on the ground. He raised a hand-held crossbow and shot at it once, shouting, "Come at me!" The thing only obliged, as it thundered after the Servant of Murder. Meanwhile, Archer let out a sigh of relief as the bow disappeared from his grasp.

"The spirit will only serve to delay it."

The Masters turned back to Lancer, who seemed to be preparing something. She would draw something in the air, then the ruby red stones on her armor and the spear would gleam and hum.

"Lancer, what are you..."

"The bloodthirster must die," she declared as she interrupted Bazett, "If left unchecked, it will be released onto your world. This manifestation will only delay the inevitable." She then muttered lightly, "It is times like this that I wished I had a host of Eldar with me. We would make short work of that greater daemon." Turning to the remaining Servants, she told them, "If you wish to aid me, then do so. If not, do not hinder me." She then took a few steps forward... and then she stopped. Looking to the Irishwoman, she waited.

"Lancer, win and return," the Enforcer ordered.

The Servant scoffed and replied, "With Fortune being my Guide, Doom will come to the spawn of the Great Enemy." And she took off, leaving a white shine in her wake.

"That was... cryptic... and dramatic," muttered Noel, the first to break the few seconds silence that passed. Turning to Saber, she asked, "Do you think you can repeat what you did in the last War? Your final attack?"

A look of concern graced the Servant's face. "I have a different Master now," she let Noel know, with Shirou's face etched with worry, "It may take even longer for me to prepare."

"You know what, take all the time you need," Rider interjected as he suddenly crushed a clear, white crystal in his hand, "Now, I have no idea what your final attack is but leave it to us to buy you enough time to do whatever you need to do." With a sheen of white and swirling snow, the eidolons materialized, already in their Gestalt Mode. He quickly hopped on and drove off to aid the other two.

Then, they heard another roar echo through the arid land, coming from the still visible greater daemon.

* * *

The bloodthirster roared in pain as the bolt of lightning slammed into its head. Lancer leaped back as the greater daemon spun around with deceptive dexterity and slammed the axe into the ground she stood on a few seconds earlier. Assassin had already returned to his Master, as drawing the beast away was his only concern. The daemon made to grab her, but she danced out of his way and sent another bolt to its head, the psychic lightning not only blemishing its skin, but also searing what little mental capability it had. It swung again, this time the blade cut from the side. She jumped and landed on it. Keeping her balance, she waited until the swing followed through and she jumped off, her spear tip aimed at its head. It moved and the spearhead met the shoulder instead. She dragged the blade across and up the neck, leaving a deep gash. With a great howl, it made to grab her, only for her weapon to impale its palm. A great roar later, Lancer landed on her feet, turning to aim another bolt at its head.

"It seems it only serves to irritate the beast," she muttered, noting the patches of black and red under its hooves and its faintly smoking prints slowly becoming larger, "Disrupting its connection to the warp is sound, but banishing it back will take all of my effort."

The bloodthirster roared once more. However, a thunderous crack was heard. Small fissures began appearing on the ground. An inhuman shriek sounded behind her. She spun around and neatly beheaded the bloodletter that charged at her.

"The encroaching has begun, even if it is much slower..." she mused as she turned her back on another four more that appeared. As she looked on the bloodthirster, the sound of a machine droned louder and the shrieks stopped. She lowered herself as the greater daemon strode up to strike. More shrieks echoed as three more of the lesser daemons burst out of three red portals that suddenly appeared and charged straight at her. She impaled the skull of the first, slid the spear point out and smacked the second away, and flung the third away with a psychic push. She leaped after the second and landed on it, driving her weapon's blade into its skull. Taking it out, she then adjusted her grip and flung the spear at the charging third, the point driven into its chest. Before the body even reached the floor, it dislodged itself and flew back to her.

"Sovereign FIST!"

She looked up; Rider was overhead, punching the giant axe that was being aimed at her aside. He landed, noticed the disappearing lesser daemons and said, "What in the world are those things? They didn't get summoned with that bloodthirster thing, did it?"

"The bloodthirster's presence is allowing the Warp to encroach on this dimension," she stated as she leaped back as the axe landed with a crash. "The longer the greater daemon exists, the weaker it gets and more daemons will come through."

Eight more bloodletters burst forth into existence and attacked them. With a wave of her hand, a psychic explosion threw them all away. Noting that the greater daemon had turned to look at the group of mon-keigh, she stated, "Strange. Why..." And then, a bright light shone from that group. It felt powerful and dangerous. "So... it goes to the more pressing threat," she mused as she parried a slash from a Hellblade. Quickly stabbing the daemon's throat, she called out to Rider, "You might want to let them know it is coming. We must hold these ones here and make sure no more come through."

"Oh, they heard you loud and clear, alright," he replied as he ducked past a bloodletter's guard and uppercut it on the chin.

"May the wrath of Khaine rouse them," she muttered as she charged into the fray with a shrill cry as another eight more broke through.

* * *

The thunderous crack did not go unnoticed by the group of Masters. Archer winced as pain surged through him for a few seconds. "What just happened?" he muttered to himself, as the others watched what the large daemon was doing.

Then, Luvia let out a small gasp. "How is that possible..." she was heard muttering to herself.

"What are you talking about?" asked Rin, giving in to her curiosity. Everyone else present looked at the Edelfelt.

"That crack we all heard... that was the boundary," she explained, sounding a little shocked as she turned to them. To Archer specifically. "More of... of that thing... are coming through. Rider and Lancer are fighting them off."

She was cut off by a sudden brilliance. An invisible weapon was now revealed, a most majestic sword. A sword belonging to Saber.

"Beautiful..." muttered Shirou as he stared at the sword in awe. The other Masters, minus Bazette, had a similar look. Assassin stood stoically next to Sakura. Archer seemed to be emotionless, but if one looked more closely, the side of his mouth seemed to twitch a little as he closed his eyes.

"It seems you are ready, Saber," said Noel with a small smile on her face.

Instead of a confirmation, Saber shook her head and replied, "No, it is not enough. We either need to damage that foul summon further or I need more time to ready myself."

"I think that demon knows it too," Assassin suddenly spoke up as he got ready. Everyone turned back to it and sure enough, it was looking at them. It then looked to the sky and roared. It then pointed at the with its axe before lumbering towards them.

"Odd... it was in a hurry before... what changed?" said Bazette as she tugged on her gloves, putting everyone on edge. Luvia reached into her skirt pocket, producing a few gems held between her fingers. A black, shadowy circle bubbled up around Sakura's feet. Shirou, having prepared nothing, decided to reach for a random sword that littered the place and set himself on guard. A sort of sloppy stance, but on guard nonetheless.

Archer frowned but didn't say anything. He then held his hand in front of Rin, "Like I said earlier, you do not have to do anything, Rin. I may need to call upon your help to maintain it." With a frown of her own, the magus put away her own jewels, knowing fully what her Servant meant. A cacophony of snarls and hissing made them look. Slowly walking towards them were those horrific looking demons that were summoned the other night. The bloodthirster then raised its axe high above its horned head and bellowed. The smaller ones echoed back and charged at them.

Saber made to counter charge but Noel put a hand to her shoulder and said, "Let us buy time for you, Saber. As Rider did say, take all the time you need." The Servant looked on grimly and nodded.

The former Servant nodded in reply, stepped in front of her, and started firing. A few demons fell, bullet holes in between their eyes. Archer joined her, sending his black arrows raining from the sky.

" **In creation and in death, there is only shadow and darkness**..."

A dark shape rose beside Sakura, take shape of a giant scorpion. With a gesture, the giant arachnid dove into the ground with surprising ease. A trailing mound moved towards the charging band of demons and it erupted in the middle of it, throwing many of their feet. Immediately, those that were not caught trained their blades on it. It returned with its giant claws and vicious looking stinger; though it lacked poison, it could still impale and fling a demon away with ease. It seemed to drain a bit out of her, for she let out a sigh and her shoulders slumped over. Assassin helped to steady her as she wobbled on her feet, Shirou sending a worried look over to her.

Still, not all were distracted by the shadow construct. Many stragglers still zoned in on them, choosing to continue their charge. It was then Archer dismissed his bow and brought out his married blades. He ran forward to meet them and soon the swords were dancing freely. Suddenly, a shrill cry sounded behind them. Saber spun around and immediately cut down the bloodletter that appeared there. Three more buzzing sounds issued forth and three more demons burst out from electrical red flashes.

"Protect her," said Assassin as he put Sakura's hand on Shirou's shoulder, the young duo starting to blush. Flipping his sword open, he Blink-ed towards them, just as Luvia flung out her jewels in a magical bombardment. The explosions only served to anger them even further, as they rushed headlong after them. Even so, Assassin had no problem taking out one while Noel turned round and killed the other two.

"Call Rider back!" Rin shouted as she placed herself behind Shirou, albeit reluctantly, as she badly wanted to contribute to the fight as well as show off to the Edelfelt.

"He said he will be here soon," the blonde magus shouted back, "Lancer will be with him! Why aren't they affected by my magecraft!?"

An enraged roar caused everyone to look up. With a mighty swing, the bloodthirster obliterated the shadow construct, shattering it out of existence. The, it turned to bring the axe down on them. However, the drone of a motor caught their ears and Rider rode up to them at full speed, the ice trail somehow moving faster than he was and made a ramp. He drove off with ease, heading straight to the greater daemon.

"Take this!" he cried as the bike deconstructed into the two eidolons, who grabbed hold of his feet and shoved him forward. He reared back his fist... and punched the daemon in the shoulder, ultimately stopping its attack in its tracks. It stumbled to the side and fell as Rider landed on the ground, making a moderately sized crater. The eidolons floated down and stayed at his flanks.

A cacophony of howls and shrieks drew all of their attention. The daemons that were distracted by the shadow scorpion were now turning their sights on them.

"Impressive feat," said Lancer as she walked past them and stood in front, facing the horde, "However, it merely delayed it. We have yet to kill it and the encroachment is increasing."

"Saber is still not ready, I presume," stated Assassin as he Blink-ed in next to Sakura.

"Better hurry up, Saber. If what Lancer says is true, I will be forced to withdraw my soul to stop this from being a permanent feature," said Archer as he raised his hand in the air. The swords all around them slowly floated up, including the one in Shirou's hand, which he let go of. The Servant threw his hand down towards the advancing daemons. The swords rained down, impaling many.

"Styria, Nix, let's pitch in," said Rider as the Sisters nodded. They spun and gestured at the daemons, ice formations randomly appearing and exploding among them.

"I don't think we can handle both those and that... bloodthirster... at the same time," stated Noel worryingly, "Everyone, you take care of those. I'll take on the big one."

"Eh?" sounded the red head magus in disbelief, "Er, Officer, I'm not sure if you noticed, but...

"Trust her, Shirou," interjected Saber, drawing his attention, "She will be able to distract it long enough for me to kill it."

"Thank you, Saber," replied the former Servant with a smile. Taking a deep breath, she held her guns up, each pointing the opposite way. With one pointing up and one pointing down, she slammed the triggers together. The barrels broke off the guns and the weapons themselves shattered, disappearing into motes of light. They reformed into a symbol, her pair of revolvers in an X-formation.

" **Restriction 6-6-6, Activate** ," she announced as she placed her hand over it. The image broke up into six revolving orbits before reforming into a sword with what looked to be many wings around it.

" **Boundary Prime Field Device deployed** ," she intoned. The image disappeared and she became enveloped in light. It burst away, revealing a different person. Her eyes were bright blue and wore an open faced helm with two fins or horns rising from behind her ears. She had a long white cloak with blue trim on her shoulders covering her entire body, adorned with six black rings that had red colored tags on it. A huge block-like thing that was reminiscent of a sword appeared behind her, colored blue, white, and gold.

" **Mu-12, Activate!** " she declared loudly. The cloak glowed and burst, as well as the sword-like block. The apparel disappeared, leaving behind an almost-naked Noel, which made Shirou turn around with a blush. The floating piece of metal glowed, then split into eight blades that floated behind her like a pair of wings as it stopped glowing.

She gave herself a once over and sighed. "I wish I could make this a little less revealing..." she muttered to herself. Setting her sight on the rising greater daemon, she said, "Release... the Light."

Two white orbs formed above her and shot two beams of pure light at it. It roared in pain and anger as it singed its chest.

"Time to take you down," she declared as she flew at it.


	17. Daemon

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

Once more his attack was blocked, his foot striking the black shield without putting much of a dent in it. Tumbling backward, Avenger then lunged to slash at it. Nothing.

_How can this enemy maintain such a thing_?

He retreated and threw his shuriken, guiding it behind the enemy with his chain. With a tug, he sent it to the shadow being's back. To his glee, it turned around. In the blink of an eye, he rushed forward to strike. Surprise once more drifted to his face when that thing actually caught his outstretched leg.

_Impossible_! _How does he know_!?

He was flung to the other side. Enraged and humiliated, he yelled to the sky before dropping into his own shadow. Moving through the inky blackness, he opened the exit and slashed upwards as he came out.

"Impressive."

It spoke as it looked on passively, his blade scraping against the jet back skin. His eyes widened.

_What is this_? _Why can't it be hurt_?

Pain surged through his body, like he was being impaled several times. He gritted his teeth through the pain, and then also noticing that he was stuck, floating in mid air.

_Why can't I move_? _Why do I feel pain_? _This thing didn't even attack me_!

"You seem to be confused, Avenger."

He started to struggle, pain lancing through his whole body. He did his best to ignore it, instead focusing on staring angrily at the shadowy being in front of him.

"To answer your question, look there."

His head suddenly free to move, he looked to where it was pointing. He felt something that he hadn't felt in a long time. A stroke of fear. On the paved ground, to their left, his shadow was being held in place by several spikes. His legs. His arms. His body. Pinned in place by spikes that originated from the shadow of his enemy. It was twisted onto itself, an irregular shape, totally different from the opponent before him.

"So... I believe they call it arrogance. I suppose it is fitting."

Avenger returned his fearful gaze to it. He had ceased struggling the moment he saw what happened to his shadow.

"You believe yourself fully capable of defeating me with your available skills."

Movement caught his eye. Glancing to the side, he saw something large coming out of its shadow.

"You think you are skilled at navigating the shadow. You think that being born of it lets you control it as you please."

It poured out like a torrent, eventually forming the head of a dragon.

"You think wrong."

His struggling began anew. The maw of the beast came closer to his own and somehow he knew that it was not for his benefit.

"Unfortunately for you, I am the shadow. **Resistance is Futile.** "

It ripped his shadow from him. It was the last thing he saw.

_No... Kagaribi_...

* * *

Flashes of red flared up as the axe blade crashed against her Origins. The daemon then swung for another pass, the dark weapon crashing against her barrier again. Quickly retracting her blades, she dropped from her suspended position and dashed in between its legs, sending her floating swords to slash at them. With four to each leg, they cut where the main tendon was supposed to be. Unfortunately, the weapons only scratched it. It was like trying to cut through earth or bone. A second later, it was as if there was no trace it had ever been cut.

"Hmm, so disabling the legs are not an option," she muttered as she dashed backward, avoiding the daemon weapon as it slammed into the ground.

"Feel my Blade!" she said. One stein formed in front of her and shot once. The solid beam of light was blocked by its free arm. At the same time, she boosted herself up to face level and declared, "Arrows of Heaven!" She threw out her left hand, a glowing ball of light shooting straight at its face. As it roared with pain, she raised her hands as she free fell slowly, the swords gathering above her.

"Sword of Decimation," she said as slashed forward, the blades gauging a deep groove in its chest. Ignoring the blood spraying, she flew behind it as it staggered backward. She swung her arms, the four blades that trailed behind each one cutting deep into its skin, prompting even more roars as it steadied itself. Flying backwards, she called out, "Origins." The red screens flared up again as the weapon left its impact. Dismissing her barrier, she said, "Blade of Light, be Released."

One by one, three more steins materialized and shot their solid beams as it attempted to block them with its hands and weapon.

"Blessed Mirror," she intoned as she spread her hands with her head bowed. A large circle of light appeared over her head and sent light to all the four steins. All four directed its deadly payload at it, inciting more animalistic roars.

"Divine Wrath of the Heavens."

All four steins exploded, engulfing it in fiery wrath. Noel floated to the ground, calmly... carefully... expecting the daemon to survive. She had a feeling it wasn't over just yet. It was able to last that long. As the smoke slowly cleared, a gust of wind parted it as the axe swung out of it. Dashing out of the way, she saw her estimation to be correct. However, whatever damage she did do thus far seemed to be slowly fading away. Still, the regeneration was slow, so what she did definitely had an effect.

Suddenly, a bright flare lit up the sky. Both combatants paused the fight to look. The light filled her with hope. The daemon roared and took a step towards the group of Masters and Servants. With a determined look on her face, she flew up and positioned herself in front of it. Her arms rose, fists aimed at it.

" **E** **verything must be destroyed...** "

* * *

One more bloodletter was punched and sent flying into another group. Two ice crystals appeared and shattered, showering the group with deadly shards.

"Another one bites the dust!" cheered on Rider as he moved on to another, eidolons covering his flanks.

Archer abandoned throwing swords to using his favored blades. Black and white, each finding the necks of these intruders to his soul made manifest.

Assassin was extremely busy, fending them off, delaying the interlopers while main fighters take them out.

To Saber's left, Shirou was wary and worried. Already once, one of those creatures attacked him while he guarded a tired Sakura. It was by mere luck that it didn't press on the attack after the first two slashes was blocked with the random sword he grabbed, as she easily bisected it. Already his arms became tensed as it struck with all its strength, giving way to minor trembling as he was not used to it. Still, he had a semblance of form, probably due to having to fend off his guardian almost every day. Rin elected to stay near the both of them, having being relegated to mana battery for the duration of the battle, much to her annoyance.

Bazett and Luvia, while their skills not having much effect on the daemons, was still useful in their own right. The Irish enforcer's strategy mirrored that of Assassin, delaying tactics that defended the others less and protected herself more. Either way, it bought herself enough time for the main fighters to take the daemons of her hands. Luvia, her magecraft clearly not effective against the enemy, stayed back with the other three while peppering the invading forces with her exploding gems.

"Face the wrath of the Eldar!"

Lancer was in the thick of it. The moment Noel flew off to delay the greater daemon, the Servant of the Lance charged into the thick of it. Deftly dancing around the black blades as well as Archer's sword bombardment, she yelled that warcry while occasionally letting off a loud wail that seemed to disorient the enemies that were near her, enabling her to take them out at will. In truth, probably more than half of the enemy's numbers were taken down by Lancer alone.

Saber maintained her inactivity, trying her best to muster as much as she could to unleash the full power of her sword. Still, she worried that after all this, she might lack the mana needed to maintain herself here. Even so, the thought of the bloodthirster rampaging through the city was enough for her to strengthen her resolve. It had to be done. And with invading force now decimated, now would be the best time.

She took a few steps forward and raised her sword above her head. A pillar of light shot up. It was not that strong, but it shone like a beacon of hope, drawing the attention of all. Especially of the beast, which let loose a great roar as it came at her. She stared at it with grim countenance. Her eyes widened slightly as Noel suddenly flew up to face it. And then, she heard the chant. It wasn't the same chant, but she could discern the power behind the words. It was similar to what was cast ten years ago.

" **E** **verything must be destroyed...** "

It roared in defiance as she threw her arms outwards, her swords radiating behind her.

" **... The world is consumed in clouds of darkness...** "

The swords flew out, four going up and the other four going downward. It was as if they were taking position for her Origins form, but this time it encased the greater daemon in solid blue light. Still, it was not fully immobilized, as it started slamming and punching the top part of its prison. Noel flew higher, and most surprisingly, eight more blades appeared behind her. Then they grew to an enormous size, each one triple her height. Cracks started to appear on the crystal cage.

" **... All will be returned to nothing!** "

She gestured at it, the swords turning towards it. Each blade then distanced itself from her, each coming from a different angle. With one final push, the bloodthirster shattered the upper part of its prison, but to no avail. As it paused to roar, the first one fell, impaling its right arm. As ferocity of the roar increased, the second impaled the left arm. It stepped forward, intent on pulling out the swords from their shallow gouges. A third fell, running its left flank through. The other four fell as it stumbled, running it through from the back, rooting it in place. The final sword struck, ramming through the right shoulder, finally stopping it in its tracks.

Slowly, Noel turned and looked straight at her. Saber nodded, getting the message. Her sword seemed to glow more brightly, if only slightly.

" **Ex** -"

The greater daemon roared in defiance as it increased its struggling. It leaned forward, its legs carving deep grooves into the ground as it strained to free itself from the swords.

"- **calibur!** "

She swung the sword.

* * *

"Do you have anything else to throw at me, Caster?" queried Eddie as it crossed its arms in front, turning to face her. She seemed to be tense as well as sending angry glares at him. It cared not for it. All he wanted was her answer.

"You... are a strange thing," she started. But after having stepped in front of her Master, she held up her hand and formed a swirling ball of flame, "Even so, if I must, I will burn you down myself."

It chuckled, making her stop. He had already gotten rid of one Servant. Eventually, the rest will follow. This was merely just a little incentive. "A Servant has died and has returned to the Grail. The War can continue. It must continue. there can only be one winner... and I hope you remember that, Caster."

It brought itself back into the husk of its host, giving the impression that the inky blackness seeped back behind it, into the shadow. Having done so, it in turn sunk into it, leaving behind the Servant that had a look of surprise on her face. Travelling through the shadows was a quick thing and it arrived at the church in only a few seconds. Kotomine's face smiled. For certain, there will be a death tomorrow.

* * *

Everyone had their feet on the ground. The other Servants sans Saber had turned to their spirit forms after a most exhausting ordeal. The only trace that anything happened were the discarded clothes of the police officers. A frown found itself to Noel's face. Things might get very... complicated with the future mysterious discovery. She didn't know what to do about it either.

"I'll be leaving now. It seems that there is much to think about. I shall contact you in the morning, Noel MacKenzie," stated Bazett before leaving. As soon as the enforcer was out of sight...

"Saber!" exclaimed Shirou as said Servant stumbled forward, only able to prop herself up with her now invisible sword.

"No, I'm... fine..." she muttered weakly as she tried to steady herself.

" _I should have known_..." Noel thought to herself worriedly, " _She used too much energy in that attack... But it's odd. Shouldn't Emiya here be able to help with her upkeep?_ "

"Eh? Was she still too drained from fighting Berserker the other night?" asked Rin in surprise.

"Impossible," muttered Luvia in disbelief, "Enough days have gone by. Surely..."

"Saber... can I?" asked the red head hesitantly.

"I... suppose... too late now," was her reply as she was able to right herself, but a careful look over could see her swaying slightly just to keep herself on her feet. Her sword hasn't left the ground either.

As Shirou proceeded to let the others know about his faulty link with Saber, Noel walked up to the Servant of the Sword and grabbed her free hand, pulling it over her shoulder. "...I learned that it's fine to depend on others in this world," she informed the surprised King of Knights, "So, let me help you this once."

"But, wouldn't it be too... well, it will attract attention," said Shirou hesitantly as he averted his blushing face, "Besides... your clothes, Officer..."

"Ah... true, it would raise a lot of questions," agreed the former Servant with her own blush.

"Have you forgotten already?" spoke up the Edelfelt heiress. When the other Masters looked at her blankly, she continued, "The car?"

Rin sighed and stated, "Edelfelt, we are pretty much tired and spent. No doubt that the car slipped out of our mind, so will you stop insulting our intelligence just this once?"

"I am not trying to insult you, silly girl," she retorted before stifling a yawn. "Admittedly, I am tired as well. I'm sorry if you don't fully understand what I'm talking about."

The former gritted her teeth and moved to answer back, but a tug on her arm put a stop to that. "Rin-senpai... let's go back now," said Sakura tiredly, but still able to muster the energy to smile.

The twin tailed magus breathed in deep and exhaled, "Fine. I suppose we can talk tomorrow. Let's go back to Emiya's house."

"Er, are you sure Rider could still drive us?" Shirou asked suddenly, "He isn't here either."

Everyone pretty much froze in place. Very slowly, Luvia pinched the bridge of her nose, her other arm on her hip. "Rider too... it seems I have misjudged the situation as well..."

"Uhm... maybe I can help?" Sakura said as she raised her hand, "I... might be able to teleport us back... in a way..."

"But you're quite tired too, Sakura. You shouldn't," protested the red head but she shook her head.

"I... I can make it. I know where your house is and I'm sure that it won't take much to transfer all of us there," she tried assuring him, "But, the only problem would be that Luvia has to spend the night there too."

"Well, that is only a minor inconvenience," said person proclaimed.

"Alright. Please stand close to each other," she directed. Noel looked to Saber, who nodded weakly. Once everyone had moved closer to each other, she closed her eyes and raised her arms. Moving them slightly as if to hug them, large shadows rose from both sides to envelop them. They were shrouded in darkness for merely several seconds before she lowered her arms, the darkness sliding away, revealing the empty compound of the Emiya house. "Ah, we made it," she was able to mutter before toppling over, falling into Shirou's arms in deep slumber.

"Uhm... er... Tohsaka, can you carry Sakura to her room?" he asked sheepishly with a blush.

"Oh, sorry, I'm feeling quite tired now," she said with a sly smile, "Besides, it falls to me to make sure Edelfelt is settled in."

"Wait, what do you..." Luvia sputtered out before being taken by the arm and pretty much dragged inside.

Noel just giggled a bit and asked, "Saber, could you show me to your room, please?"

"...This way..."

She was not surprised when she was led to a room next to Shirou's. She sat Saber down against the wall while she laid out the futon and the blanket. She then tucked in Saber, who had already dismissed her sword and her armor.

"My thanks, Noel," the Servant was able to mutter before drifting off to sleep.

"Rest well, Saber," the former Servant replied as she left the room.

* * *

"Wait, Officer... you too?" he muttered in despair as he watched the police officer shuffling hurriedly off to Saber's room.

He looked down at her, his blush growing a bit more. This was a bit too close to his liking. Then again, she does look pretty under the moonlight. He blinked and blushed a deeper shade of red. Bad thoughts! He quickly shook them out of his head.

"It isn't polite to do this without permission... but I guess I have to make this an exception," he muttered to himself as he gently lifted her bridal style and carried her to her room, "I really hope this doesn't happen too often... so awkward..." In her sleep, Sakura smiled.


	18. Training

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

_Our King is the god of battle! He always may be found leading the charge! He has never tasted defeat_!

_There is no one who can stand in King Arthur's way_!

_His dauntless visage has remained unchanged since he drew forth the sword of selection_!

_The King does not age_!

_Truly, he is the embodiment of the dragon_!

Shirou's eyes sprang open. His body felt stiff and lethargic. He moved his limbs, finding that he had fallen asleep in a sitting position. Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing the room. His eyes wandered and eventually settled on his sleeping Servant.

" _That dream... I've never seen that side of her before_ ," he wondered as he covered his eyes, protecting them from the glare, " _Can you really see stuff like that in a dream_?" Trying to recall what he dreamed, his thoughts settled on a sword.

" _Weird... that sword_..."

"Shirou..."

"Saber?" he exclaimed as he stumbled forward, going near her futon, "Saber, are you alright? Last night..."

"Do not worry. I may still feel weak due to the previous night's battle, but I will recover in time," she assured him softly as she looked at him. Turning her gaze to the ceiling, she continued, "Although, my weakness seems to have disrupted my plans."

"Eh? Plans?" he repeated in confusion.

"Yes. Your form was rough, but with proper training, you should be able to handle a sword well enough for your own protection," she explained, "I wanted to train you myself, but I must recover first."

"Oh... yeah, that would be a problem," he admitted, but in better spirits knowing that he wouldn't have to feel all that useless anytime there was trouble. He truly wanted to help, and with this training, he definitely could.

"Indeed. Which is why I have a request," she stated as she turned back to him, "Please ask Sakura to send Assassin to me." Noting his puzzled expression, she explained, "I can recognize a noteworthy swordsman from the way he fights. While I know not why he was given the Assassin class, he still has enough skill for me to acknowledge him. Thus, I would have him take over your training until I am well enough to do it personally."

"...Alright. I'll ask Sakura the earliest I can," Shirou agreed as he nodded. Then, he excused himself and left the room, leaving Saber to rest.

* * *

Sakura closed her eyes and hummed a little as she prepared brushed her hair. She did not remember what happened to her after she fell asleep last night. All she felt was a sensation of falling and then her vision went blank. She wondered who brought her back to her room.

"I wonder if it was Senpai..." she mused with a blush.

"Good morning..." groaned out Rin as she stepped into the bathroom and sluggishly reached for the sink.

"Ah, good morning, Rin," she greeted, not at all surprised by her former sister's messy look. She got no reply, maybe the sleepy girl's mind still processing her presence. Swiftly, she left the bathroom and went to the kitchen, wondering if Shirou was already in the kitchen.

"Ah, Sakura?"

Her heart skipped a beat, the sound of her Senpai's voice interrupting her thoughts. "Senpai?" she asked with a smile. He was already busy cooking in the kitchen, the lovely smells of cooking food wafting through the air.

"Um, I need your help with something," he said as he took a glance at her.

"Anything!" she instantly said, which immediately caused her to blush and hurriedly amended with, "I mean... what's wrong, Senpai?"

"Uhm, Saber needs to talk to Assassin about something," he explained, apparently not hearing her minor outburst from before, "So, can you ask him to see her?"

"Let me ask him," she informed him before using her link, " _Assassin, Saber wants to have a word with you. Is that alright_?"

" _I do not mind. I shall see what she wants_."

"He doesn't mind, Senpai," she informed him.

"Ah, thanks, Sakura," he replied, now free to focus his attention on the food preparation. Pausing to go to the fridge, she heard him mutter, "We're running low again... I need to stop by the store this evening."

"Senpai... let me accompany you," she suddenly spoke up. Shirou looked up in surprise. She then looked down at the counter, averting her eyes in embarrassment for being so forward.

"...I suppose... we still have three other Servants to worry about," he mused as he closed the fridge door, "Mmm, I'll let you know when we leave then."

"Eh?" she sounded in surprise, her eyes widening slightly, "I mean... yes, Senpai."

Quickly excusing herself, she quickly left the room and walked down the hall. Pausing to lean against the wall on her back, she let out a breath she didn't think she held in. Her eyes were closed, her head down and she could hear the blood beating through her ears.

" _I can't believe I actually asked him that_ ," she thought as she opened her eyes and looked up. Her face immediately became as red as Rin's blouse when she saw her former sister standing there with a smirk on her face.

"Ne, Sakura, did you say what I think you said?" the twin tailed magus asked, her smirk becoming a grin, "Did you just ask him out?"

"I- wha- that..." the Matou stuttered out as she tried to muster a reply, but Rin grabbed hold of her shoulders.

"You don't have to say another word," the former stated, her grin becoming toned down to a normal smile, "It must have been hard for you, but you did it. You were finally able to ask him out. Congratulations. At least now you are ahead of that Edelfelt."

"Ah... thanks?" the latter murmured with a slight uncertainty.

"Don't worry, Sakura. I know you can do it," Rin assured her, "Do your best."

Very slowly, a smile was shaped on her face. She nodded, her heart filled with determination.

"Ah, good morning, Edelfelt," the two of them heard Shirou.

"Oh, good morning, Shirou," the blonde greeted with a happy tone.

"Would you like to join us? Breakfast is almost done."

"Breakfast? Hmm, I was going to ask Rider to go to my home... of course, Shirou, I would like to join you for breakfast. Where shall I sit?"

"What?" Sakura yelped, as she quickly moved past Rin, "You are not sitting next to Senpai."

* * *

Saber."

She roused slowly but sat up sluggishly without a word. The blanket drooped, revealing her white blouse that was quite creased due to sleeping in it. She took a few deep breaths before speaking in a more regal tone.

"Assassin."

He looked at her, the room only illuminated by the door panels that were lit up due to the sunlight filling the other room. She looked disheveled, presumably put to bed in the same state she was the previous night. "You wished to speak with me," he stated, wondering the reason. Despite being allies, they haven't spoken a word to each other since the day after the first battle with Berserker.

"I require your assistance," she said as she glanced up at him.

He nodded as a sign for her to continue.

"I was going to train Shirou in the way of the sword," she began her explanation, "However, my current state prevents me from doing so. Weakened as I am, I am in no way capable of beginning his education. What I wish to ask of you... is for you to lay the groundwork for his training."

"I see," Assassin muttered, "Then again, I doubt I am best suited for..."

"If anything, help to raise his battle awareness. His reactions. Dodging blows," she added further, "Things that will matter more at his level of skill."

"Ah, this would be a way for him to increase his chances of survival," he mused, finally understanding, "I can definitely help with that."

"Indeed," she accepted as she began to lie down again, "We do not have time for gradual learning."

"I shall take my leave then," he said as he slowly shifted back to his spirit form.

"Thank you. I am at ease then," he heard her say before leaving the room.

* * *

The atmosphere at the dining table was a mixed one. Luvia was rather vocal about her enjoyment of the food, and in turn she received annoyed glares from Rin. Sakura tried to remain indifferent to the Edelfelt... tried to, as the sounds of enjoyment were getting on her nerves a little. Shirou was surprisingly ignorant about this, as there were other things on his mind. One being a certain Tiger.

"Sakura, did something happen to Fuji-nee?" he asked.

"You won't have to worry about her today, Shirou," spoke up Luvia with a smirk as she gestured to herself, "She will be feeling quite under the weather right now."

"... I dread to ask what you did to her," he deadpanned after staring at her with some thought.

"I mentioned that our teacher was staying over until school reopens," explained Rin as she placed her eating utensils on the table, "We still need to keep our situation secret after all. I just asked Edelfelt to give her a Gandr shot, mild enough to be non-threatening but powerful enough to debilitate her."

Sakura sighed after watching his horrified expression wane. "Then, we need to add 'Herbal Soup' to the list, Senpai," she mentioned to him, "She would expect that, at least."

"Ah, yes. She would," he agreed.

"Hmm? List? What list?" asked the blonde in surprise.

"A shopping list. I'll be shopping for ingredients with Sakura later in the evening," he replied as he continued with his food.

She then glared at the Matou, who replied with an angelic smile. Rin stifled a bit laughter, prompting the blonde to glare at her too. Breakfast continued without any more disruption. After it was over, however...

"Shirou, meet me in the training room," spoke Assassin's voice after Sakura and Shirou were done washing the dishes, "We shall begin when you arrive."

"Erm, Assassin is going to train me to fight with a sword," he explained

"...I guess we need to postpone that to after lunch," muttered Rin.

"That? What do you mean?" asked the red head.

"Your magus education," explained Luvia, "Your stepfather, as fearsome as he was, never did instill the basics in you. It falls to us to correct that. There is a lot for you to catch up with."

"...I guess that would be fine," he agreed.

"Alright, go on to your training," Rin said as she made a shooing motion, "Edelfelt and I have our own thing to do."

"Ah, ok. I'll go and see Assassin then," sounded Shirou as he left the room after drying his hands.

"What are you and... Edelfelt-senpai going to do?" asked Sakura inquisitively.

"We are going to see Caster."

* * *

The doorbell echoed through the hallway. A while later, the door opened to reveal a gentle face and violet hair. "Good morning, Noel," she greeted with a bit of surprise, "Sorry for asking, but what are you doing here?"

"Good morning, Matou," replied the former Servant, now back in normal clothes, "I just came to check on everyone. I mean, it was quite a difficult night yesterday..."

"Hmm... oh, I'm sorry. Please come inside," she apologized as she let the blonde officer in, "Would you like to have a drink?"

"Oh, it's alright. There's no need for that," refused Noel with a wave. Taking a less jovial tone as the door shut, " So... how are they?"

"Well, Rin and Edelfelt are fine. They are paying Caster a visit, right now," started Sakura as both of them walked slowly to the living room.

"...I guess sitting still doesn't really sit well with them," the former mused after a pause.

"Saber is still resting in her room...I'm guessing the weak link between her and Senpai is affecting her more than she lets on," the latter continued, "With Senpai... right now, he's being taught by Assassin to fight with a sword."

"Eh? Really?" the former Servant replied with a surprised look, "Huh... I never expected that." Pausing to glance down the hall, she then asked, "So... any idea how to help Saber? If she isn't getting enough energy, she might... fade..."

Sakura then stared at the floor. "I... I don't know... I was hoping Rin might be able to think of something," she confessed worriedly. She then quickened her pace to the kitchen, where she turned off the stove.

"What are you cooking?" asked the curious blonde.

"Oh, it's just some chicken soup for sensei," she replied, followed by a frown, "Edelfelt made Fujimura-sensei feel sick... well, just the feeling of being sick, and now sensei is confined to her bed."

Noel blinked in surprise. "Care to explain?" she asked.

* * *

Caster sipped on her green tea, slowly taking in the taste and heat. Setting down the cup, she turned to Souichirou and said calmly, "Well, what do you think we should do about the mediator?"

"It may be best to attempt to remove him first," he mused, "However, it may be difficult in itself. That man is the local priest and quite known within certain circles of the community. It may be hard to determine if he is ever alone. Another difficulty is his powers. He is quite formidable at night and we may draw too much attention if we attack during the daytime. If there was a way to restrict his powers, things will be easier."

She sighed, silently agreeing with him. "I suppose..."

"Excuse me, Kuzuki-sensei."

The two of them turned to the door, catching sight of a bespectacled teen in monk training robes.

"Miss Caster has... two visitors," he stated, appearing quite reluctant to mention them.

"Very well. Please escort them here, Ryouudou," the teacher told him.

The boy bowed and went to fetch them. While they waited, Caster continued sipping on her tea. Soon enough, her visitors arrived.

"Kuzuki-sensei?" muttered the girl in red in surprise. The girl in blue said nothing but seemed to share her friend's surprise.

"Good morning, ladies," greeted the Servant of Sorcery rather cordially, "Please, take a seat." Turning to the boy named Ryouudou, she said, "You can go now. Thank you for showing them here."

"You are welcome. Please enjoy your stay," the boy muttered, shooting a glare of suspicion at the dark haired girl before leaving.

Now that everyone was seated, she began with, "Well, so the boy told you? What do you want?"

"Umm, does..." the red one muttered as she motioned to Souichirou.

"Of course. I elected him to be my tether here," she replied as she took another sip. Both girls went wide eyed. "You still haven't told me why you are here," she pressed.

"I am Luviagelita Edelfelt and this is Rin Tohsaka," started the blonde with confidence, "We come to inform you that the Grail is cursed and that the fighting should cease until something is done about it."

"The Grail? You mean the magical device this so-called War is about?" questioned Caster. Getting nods from both girls, she stared at them, trying to make up her mind about this. But after thinking back to what that shadowy Mediator said, she refused with a firm, "No."

"Wait, before..."

"Stop," she sounded as she shushed Rin, "I do not know who you are to ask me to stop fighting, but I have enough of this. I was attacked last night, and as a result, Avenger died. Then, that thrice damned Mediator from the Nine Hells told me to expedite this War or die trying. I utterly despise that man now, but if I am to get my wish, your Servants have to die whether you like it or not."

"Wait. Mediator? You mean the Fake Priest came here last night?" asked the girl in red with a shocked expression, "For him to act this way..."

"I don't care if he is fake or not," the former declared, "After putting that stupid priest on a pyre, your Servants will be the next to burn. And you will not be able to stop me. I will win, one way or the other."

"Please, surely..." the one in blue attempted to reason.

"Oh, I'm sorry? Was I not clear enough?" she asked them in a threatening tone, "I didn't realize you haven't cleaned your ears this morning."

"Now look..."

"Our apologies, Caster," interrupted the one in red, "We shall respect your decision and will not bother you any further." She got up from her seat and motioned her ally to do the same. The Servant looked on smugly as the other eventually got up, her reluctance very clear. Very calmly, they muttered their thanks and calmly left.

"Are you sure of this, Caster?" asked Souichirou after the footsteps of the two girls faded out.

"I am. I agree with your earlier assessment. The priest is certainly too dangerous to be left alone," the Servant stated as she took another sip, "I think all we need to do is hit him hard and fast..."

* * *

Assassin looked at his downed opponent... or should he say, temporary student. The boy was breathing quite heavily while on his back, the bamboo sword lying uselessly by his side. He was a little impressed with the boy's tenacity; they took turns attacking and defending. The boy's offense was quite sloppy and at times hesitant to attack. Perhaps he was still quite the imposing figure even without his mask. The boy's defense was a little better, but it was more of a desperate attempt to keep up with the jabs and the strikes that so cleanly danced around the boy's guard. In his opinion, Saber has an uphill task ahead of her. For now... probably best to help him last longer on defense, just as she asked of him.

"I suppose we can rest for now," he told the redhead, "Take a breather. We can resume at a later time after you get back your strength."

"Are you alright, Senpai?"

Turning to the doorway, he caught sight of his Master as well as Noel. Sakura was carrying a cloth bundle of sorts while the other carried a tray that had cups and a clear jug of water.

"...yeah, I am... Sakura..." the temporary apprentice replied between deep breaths as he hobbled over to them, "Even tired... I need to..."

"Really, Emiya," Noel began to chide him as she set down the tray, "Even if you want to get stronger, you still need to eat. It's already past noon."

The boy poured himself a cup and quickly gulped one down. He let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, what's that, Sakura?" the red head asked, his curiosity drawn to the bundle.

"Ah, this is your lunch," his Master replied with a smile as she placed it on the floor and started to undo the cloth bindings, "I hope you like it."

"I don't think anyone will talk badly about your cooking, Sakura," the boy simply replied, not noticing the light blush on the girl's cheeks. Turning to Noel, he asked, "Have you eaten yet, er, Mackenzie?"

"Noel is fine," the former Servant replied as she looked to Assassin's direction, "And I sampled some of Matou's cooking earlier. You're right when you say nobody will talk badly about her cooking."

Then, the Servant noticed two others coming up behind the group. "Master, your allies have returned," he informed the violet haired girl as Rin and Luvia stopped at the doorway.

"We need to borrow Emiya after he finishes his lunch," announced the twin tailed magus as the boy gave thanks and started eating, "It won't take too long."

"Quite. He is due for a crash course in being a magus," continued the blonde.

* * *

The church was quiet. To the untrained eye, almost serene. To those who can sense better, it was unnaturally silent. The priest was kneeling in front of the altar, head bowed and lips silently mumbling, giving the impression of prayer. Then, he stopped and slowly got to his feet. Calmly, he turned around and walked towards the pews. Taking a seat behind the front most pew, he looked on ahead. However, he was not focused on the altar.

"What brings you here, Matou Shinji?" he asked, as he closed his eyes.

The grinning boy leaned forward, resting his arms and chin on the backrest. "Good day, priest. I will be needing your assistance this evening."

He breathed out and asked, "What is it you want my help with?"

"Oh... nothing much," the boy replied nonchalantly, "I was going to stop by the castle the book told me about. I could really use your help."

"The castle... you mean the Einzbern castle," he guessed as he mused over the boy's request. Slowly, a smile graced his face as he began to piece together what he might be able to do there, "I see. It seems that my plans for the evening will have to be amended. Yes, I will give you my help."

"Ah, I had a feeling you were going to say that," the boy declared gleefully, "I can guarantee that it will be a very interesting time for us. Guaranteed!"


	19. Madness

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

_"Alright, Shirou. First of all, before we even give you this crash course, we have to judge how much you know first," stated Luvia_

_"Something we agree on at least," added Rin as she placed a duffel bag on the floor and took out an antique lamp, "You mentioned before you know Reinforcement, Emiya. Show us how well you can do it."_

_"..."_

_"..."_

_"..."_

_"I can barely believe this," muttered Luvia in shock._

_"...What?" he asked timidly._

_"What in the world did your father teach you, Emiya," said Rin with a hint of exasperation._

"Sakura... Sakura?"

"Eh?" the violet haired girl sounded in surprise. Turning her head, she noticed her Senpai standing next to her. She blushed when she realized she was daydreaming while waiting for him to pay for the groceries. "Oh, erm... sorry, Senpai. I was... just thinking..."

He smiled and reminded, "We should get to the next shop. We still need the herbal soup for Fuji-nee."

She quickly nodded as she quickly moved to walk with him. Yet, her mind still went back to what happened earlier.

_"Swallow this."_

_A puzzled Shirou took the small, round, and red thing Rin gave him and did as he was told. "Ugh... What was that, Tohsaka?" he asked with visible discomfort._

_"A jewel."_

_"... A jewel!?" repeated the shocked red head._

_"What you are doing is dangerous, Shirou, not to mention that it is too time consuming to do," lectured Luvia, "With this jewel, we should be able to open the Circuits you have in your body. By doing so..."_

_Emiya suddenly groaned and grabbed his stomach._

"Senpai!" she shouted. Then, she blinked and realized she was standing still by the roadside. Two women with full shopping bags were staring at her.

"Sakura? Is something wrong?"

She turned. Her Senpai was standing in the doorway of the shop that sold herbal remedies. She let out an embarrassed sound and quickly walked inside with her head down.

" _Oh, no! Why am I thinking about that? This is too much_ ," she moaned mentally as she fought to keep herself from running away and hiding from the world. Still, she was quite worried for him. After figuring out what her former sister and her rival were referring to, it was safe to say that she was quite shocked. Perhaps that was it.

" _Still, Senpai had a hard life... a little like me_ ," she mused as she watched her Senpai bought the ingredients for the soup, " _He was able to persevere through it all, just to be a hero_..." She thought back to her childhood, as dark as it was. It started out... horrible would be the word she would describe it. Even her uncle... bless Kariya-ojisan... not even he could protect her, even though he tried his best. And then... Rin. Rin didn't know, but her offer of friendship meant so much. If not for that act of kindness, she may have ended up resenting her former sister. Life was a lot more bearable with her support. There was still the issue with her brother but...

" _Nii-san_..." she thought as they began their walk across the river.

"Senpai..." she uttered with worry as she stopped in the middle of the bridge. Her eyes met his as he turned around to face her.

"Senpai..." she repeated as she took a few steps towards him, "About Nii-san..."

"We will get him back, Sakura," he assured her, "All we have to do is separate him from the book."

"But, Senpai, what if we can't?" she asked, "What if that book has already taken over him? What if it's too late?"

"No, we will get him back," he affirmed confidently, "I promise..."

"Stop... Senpai, please," she interrupted, almost pleadingly, "You shouldn't..." She took a deep breath and seeing that no other passers-by around, continued, "You already know that a magus walks with death. You know it. I know it. Nii-san knows it too... Uhm, what I'm saying is... he might not be able to be saved..."

"No, I can't believe that. He can still be saved," insisted Shirou, "He can be saved! I promise I..."

"NO!" she suddenly shouted, and then she felt like running away when he gave her such a surprised look. "Senpai... don't... don't promise me something that will be... hard to keep," she said slowly, calming her furiously beating heart, "Please. If you want to promise me anything, then promise me you won't give up your life trying to save Nii-san. I'm not saying you shouldn't try, just that... don't take it too far."

"Sakura... why are you..."

"When I saw you almost die through Assassin's eyes," she then told him, "I thought... I felt like part of me died. I was so relieved when you actually survived. I don't... I do not want to go through that again. Please, Senpai."

Silence.

"...I promise."

She blinked. Did he really...

"I promise I won't take it too far. I didn't know you felt that way," he admitted with his gaze averted for a moment, "Sorry for worrying you so much."

It felt like a huge weight was lifted and she smiled, "Thank you... Senpai." After some thought, she added, "We better hurry back, or Fujimura-sensei will get out of bed and start sending out search parties for us."

He sighed as he turned around to continue walking, "I wouldn't put it past her."

* * *

The inner courtyard was still, with the evening light bathing the flowers in a beautiful orange glow. A black dot appeared, marring the pristine cement slabs that paved the garden. The dot grew larger until a dome rose out of it. then, it slowly melted away to reveal Kirei and Shinji.

"A very convenient way to travel," the Matou commented offhandedly, "So, what do you intend to do now, priest?"

"To take out Berserker," the fake priest informed him, "What of your intentions?"

"I intend to create something great... something that will show the world that the greatness of my family has returned," the boy declared gleefully.

"Then you had better remain hidden until I bring the battle elsewhere," he cautioned.

"Quite. Ah, and from what the book tells me, the homunculi here are a precious resource. Perhaps pile their bodies up here, if you could," Shinji requested before disappearing.

"To be wary, for certain," he muttered to himself as he readied himself for what was to come, "For now, the next Servant."

He did not have very long to wait.

"What is the meaning of this intrusion?" asked the one dressed in white and blue. The other one, dressed in white and black, was holding a halberd in her hands.

"Only two... I see... both must be removed before I take care of Berserker and anyone else inside this place," he announced clearly to the both of them. Inky black shadows started to envelop his body as he said that.

"Berserker. You mean to target Illya," stated the second one, "You are Illya's enemy." She then leaped towards him as his head was fully engulfed by the shadows.

"Wait!" shouted the first. His eyes gleamed red.

The attacker swung the halberd as she descended. He spun round and kicked the axe head out of the way. Then he stepped forward and punched her in the face. He could feel something crack before she was flung back by the force he put in. She was tenacious and was able to land on her feet with a trickle of blood coming from her nose. Slowly, he slid into Kirei's fighting stance and motioned to her to try again. Despite the other one's objections, his opponent ran up to him and swung her large weapon from the right. He took a few steps back and then to his left as she proceeded to try and stab him with the spike several times. Then he ducked under the pole that was sent to where his head was. She then twirled the weapon to a downward slash. He grabbed it, much to her surprise.

Four large snakeheads shot out from his back, each one clamping onto one of her limbs. The priest then reached for the solid metal shaft with his other hand and snapped it with ease. The homunculus in white and black looked at him impassively as he beheaded her with his new weapon.

"Leystritt..." muttered the other with a shocked look on her face. He turned his head to her, mentally willing some help to contain her here. She could only take a few fearful steps back before she was grabbed at the waist and flung towards him by a misshapen thing. She did not scream, as she was still in her shocked state. Instead of the drill he would normally use, he brought forth a set of spikes to restrain her. Gravity impaled her body on them. She tried to struggle but he grabbed her throat to take a closer look at her. The cloth cover on her head was unraveled and now she looked a bit more familiar. Like that woman... that not human.

"You look just like her. Perhaps you are similar," he stated aloud as he stared at her face, "Tell me, do you know your purpose in this world? How do you know your purpose?"

"Wh... why..." she sounded as she used one hand to try and remove herself while the other grabbed his hand.

"I have met another such as you. Another not human," he told her, "She said she was told of her purpose after her creation. A meaningful existence. Tell me, are you the same?"

"...My duty is to protect Illyasviel with my life," she declared in her now weakened state, "I will not let you touch her as long as I live."

"I see. You are the same," he intoned as he wrenched his hand away, "Unfortunate that I must remove you." He then removed her head before tossing the axe head away.

"Leys... Sella..."

He turned to face the newcomer. Berserker's Master. She looked the same.

"And yet another one," he said as he noted the absence of her Servant, "Tell me, not human. Homunculus. Do you know your purpose? Do you have a meaningful existence?"

All he got was a hateful glare. "Berserker. Kill him," she growled out. The Mad Servant materialized in mid-step, immediately running at him, weapons free from their sheaths.

Not wishing to disturb the pooling blood, he jumped forward, lashing out with his leg on his descent. His attack was batted aside but he paid no heed, knowing that the blade will fail to cut through the shadow. He took this chance to drop low, seeping down beneath the concrete slabs. In a flash, he instantly rose up and struck the Servant in the head in his fish-like form. He reverted back to his humanoid form and unleashed a roundhouse kick, sending the more muscular Servant crashing through the wall of the house. Ignoring the albino girl's shocked cries, he leaped into the air and took his winged form and swooped in through the hole, intent on doing what he came here to do.

* * *

Illyasviel sought to go after them, quickly leaving the garden compound from where she exited. Slowly, Shinji stepped back into reality, carefully noting the two bodies in the center of the garden. With a smile, he walked briskly and stopped in the middle of the blood pool. He then let go of the book in his hand, which floated up and opened to a specific page.

"Well, shall we begin?" he asked it. It began glowing as a page seamlessly released itself from the spine and flew down into the pool, melting into it like molten butter. Very slowly, the blood began to move.

He started to cackle. Things are finally going according to plan once more.

* * *

Dinner was a simple affair and ended without much trouble. Considering that Shirou invited Luvia to stay for it, it was a blessing that there wasn't any fighting. Sakura had gone to bring the herbal soup to Taiga while the blonde and Rin continued their lessons. Noel had already gone home when the two went out shopping.

Archer was not fine with that. He had plenty to think about on his lonesome on top of the roof. Too many differences in this world, save the boy. A different Archer. A less fierce Rin. A more assertive Sakura. Luvia involved in the War. Different Servants. And then there was the grimoire. The story Noel told them was rather disturbing. He could very well see the fourth War Caster coming up with that book. Still, if things are progressing slowly the way they are, all he had to was to wait for an opportunity to kill...

The appearance of Bazett made him push aside those thoughts. " _Rin. Bazett is here. She seems to be in a hurry_ ," he informed his Master.

" _Thank you, Archer_."

He continued to keep watch, only pausing to note that the Enforcer had reached the front door. However, ten minutes later...

" _Archer, we are leaving for the Einzbern castle._ "

" _What prompted this, Rin_?" he asked as he shifted to spirit form and moved down to ground level.

" _Bazett told us that Lancer had run off again_."

" _So she is a poor Master. What does it have to do with us_?" he replied sarcastically as he took his place beside her.

" _This has nothing to do with that. Lancer said something before she disappeared on Bazett_ ," she informed him as they assembled at the outside gate. He noted that Shirou was not among them, much to his interest. " _She said something about Chaos appearing in the forest. There is nothing of interest in the forests around Fuyuki, save one place_."

" _The Einzbern castle_ ," he said with sudden clarity as Rider pulled up in Luvia's limousine, " _Are they going to target her now_?"

" _It is possible_ ," she noted as she got in the car after the blonde, " _We just have to find out when we get there_." Sakura and Bazett followed after her. He and Assassin phased through after them. Rider immediately started the car and soon they were speeding through the roads. Rider quickly showed the skills of his namesake as he weaved through the city and reached the road leading to the outskirts at record time. The car was parked by the roadside closest to the castle and the Masters moved through the forest as fast as they could. Archer estimated that they were about halfway to their destination when they encountered Lancer.

"Lancer... what are you doing?" asked the enforcer as everyone else stopped. The runes on her armor seemed to be gleaming rather brightly.

The Servant turned to face them and said, "Chaos has taken root within. I must destroy it all to prevent its spread."

* * *

The unused room had furniture that was all covered with white sheets. A thin layer of dust caked every other surface. Suddenly, the walls shook... and shook.. and finally one of them burst outwards with an explosion, Berserker flying through it. He roared after landing on his feet.

"You are a difficult foe, Berserker," said Eddie as he stepped through the hole. The huge cloud of dust in front of him was blown apart as the Mad Servant suddenly burst through, swinging the chained swords. He quickly pulled up his shadow shield, the blades scraping against it. He dropped it as the blades finished scraping past it, just as Berserker neared him and grabbed him by the head. He felt himself get lifted up and slammed to the floor. The shock still rattled his body even though he felt very little pain in his shadow armor. He was still able to roll out of the way from the Grecian sandal that came towards his head.

As Eddie got to his feet, he saw Berserker's blades embed themselves in the floor on either side of him. He then felt something impact his head with a sickening crunch. He could feel and hear the ringing in his ears, his sense of balance being thrown off by the trauma to his head. Something else struck his jaw. He could feel the body being lifted up into the air. If his head didn't make him so disorientated, he would have found the feeling of weightlessness very interesting. He soon felt his body being grabbed and held onto a shoulder. He felt the wind on his back for a second before he was driven into a wall. A few seconds later, he felt another.

By then, the ringing in his head stopped and he made a spiked club from his hand. He began to hammer Berserker's barely armored back. After a few attacks, he was thrown to the floor. Feeling stunned after his skull being slammed against the floor again, he couldn't mount a physical response as the Mad Servant knelt next to him and started punching him. He instead reinforced the shadows around his head, buying himself time to put his plan to counter his opponent into motion.

It was then the floor gave way and the weightlessness returned.

* * *

The ceiling broke, showering the great entrance hall with plaster, dust, and debris. Two figures fell through; Berserker landed on his feet while the interloper crashed to the floor. Not a drop of blood from the body, yet the light in its eyes were not present. Berserker looked up the stairs. His master has just arrived, standing at the top of the stairs with a thunderous look on her face.

"...He isn't dead yet," she said venomously, "There is no blood. Bind him. I need to make him tell me who sent him. Then... then we can kill him. Very. Slowly."

He nodded and reached down to grab the body. Suddenly a spike shot out and pierced his palm. A much larger spike then shot out, ramming into his abdomen and pushed him all the way to the wall. He grabbed the spike with intent to break it, but more spikes grew rapidly and pinned him down. Soon, his legs and arms were fully immobilized. Blood flowed freely at the entry points. He roared and moved, drawing more blood and pain. In response, even more protrusions appeared to spear his flesh. That whole time, the body slowly melted away and a new one appeared standing in its place.

"Berserker..." Illyasviel uttered in shock.

"You have chosen poorly," the shadowy enemy stated, "To let your guard down when I was unmoving... was unwise."

He roared again and tried to move, which prompted the number to increase. "I see. In spite of your power, your vessel can only take so much before it cannot keep up," added the interloper, "Eventually, your body will be destroyed." He then turned to the albino Master. "You..."

She took a trembling step back.

"I have many questions for you, not human... or shall I call you homunculus?"

She suddenly froze. Something was slowly making its way around her neck.

"I have asked your servants earlier. Their answers were lacking."

It clamped around her throat. She finally moved, grabbing at the finger-like thing and tried to pry them apart but to no avail.

"I also asked another ten years ago. It only brought forth more questions."

It lifted her up. Terrified, she held on to it and pushed herself up with all her strength as to not choke to death. Keeping as still as she could as to not rock around so much, she was slowly brought down to face the intruder.

"Now, I shall ask you the same. Tell me, not human. Homunculus. Do you know your purpose? Do you have a meaningful existence?" he asked as he took over the holding of her throat.

Silence. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of her forehead. It felt cold. Then, a whisper. From Berserker.

"... Spartan Law..."

* * *

Fields as far as the eyes can see. Fields green, wild with grass and sparsely dotted with flowers. Kratos was somewhat surprised. This was impossible. How could he be back at the Fields when he was barred from entering in the first place? He who was steeped in blood for so long. Even after forgiving himself, he doubted that the restriction was lifted.

"Father!"

To his astonishment, a little figure suddenly grabbed his waist from behind. He turned his body and found a happy, joyful face.

_No... impossible..._

There she was. Calliope.

"Father, you're here again," she said happily as she continued to hug him. Then, he heard another voice.

"You have returned."

"...Lysandra?" he muttered in disbelief as he turned around slowly. True enough, his wife was standing there in front of him.

"Yes, Kratos? Is there something wrong?" she asked with minor curiosity.

"...No. It has been too long, my love," he said with a sigh. He then stepped forward to embrace her, which she received gladly. As she came near, Calliope took hold of her too, now having an arm around the waist of each parent.

"I am glad," Lysandra said as she leaned on his shoulder, "I can once again be proud to call you 'husband' once more."

"Thank you," he replied as he released his embrace but kept an arm around her. The other arm went to his daughter's shoulder. It felt like he was finally home once more. But, at the back of his mind, he felt that there was something that needed his attention.

"Husband, you are not done yet," she told him, much to his surprise.

"What? What do you mean, Lysandra?" he asked in confusion. The young girl looked up at them in a similar state.

"You have yet to finish your battle," she reminded him, "You must return to her side and finish it."

He stared at her, not truly understanding what she meant. Then, he heard a whisper that sounded like Pandora, " _Remember, Kratos_." And so he did. All that he went through during the Grail War came rushing back into his mind. Little Illya. Her path down the road of vengeance. The castle being under attack. The monster that was able to entrap him, leaving her undefended. The thought made him bristle with anger.

Slowly, a sparse mist started forming over the entire area.

"Is father going away?" asked Calliope sadly, "But, he just returned." She looked as if she was going to cry.

"I know... I know," Lysandra said as she hugged her daughter to calm her down, "But your father still has to follow the laws."

"...Spartan Law..." he muttered. Of course. All this was too good to be true. But why did he hear Pandora just now? Did she not die in the flames?

"Yes, husband," she affirmed as her hands went down to hold his, "Do not worry about us. We shall be here, waiting for you to return. As always."

"Thank you, my love," he said gratefully. To his daughter, he told her, "Calliope. I will be quick. Soon, we shall be together once more." She nodded quietly.

He looked up to his wife, who nodded as well. With great reluctance, he relinquished his hold on them. Then, he turned his back on them and walked away.

"Spartan."

He stopped to turn and look at his wife.

"Come back with your shield or on it," she declared.

A smile cracked his lips, "Amusing, since I have not used a shield ever since the time of Ares."

"You know what I mean, husband," she replied, mirroring his smile, "Return with honor, husband. Return with honor."

"That I shall," were his final words before he turned around and continued on. Everything else was soon swallowed by the mist.

He walked. He knew not how long. He knew not how far. He just walked. A whisper stopped him in his tracks.

_Spartan. Hope. As long as there is a sliver of hope, victory is still possible. Be it in life or death._

"Hope?" he muttered, coming to realize the voice he heard, "So a tiny bit still resides in me? Is it enough?"

And everything went white.

* * *

Eddie turned around to look at the Servant pincushion while still keeping a grip on Illyasviel's throat. Berserker's body shuddered as it began to gain a bright red aura. It slowly started creeping up the shadow spikes that were pinning him back. Then, the Servant seemed to explode. A wave of heat and air washed over them. Smoke engulfed the entire place. It was a curious thing, as instead of dying out, Berserker's power kept rising. Suddenly, he could hear him speak.

"... **take from them**... **EVERYTHING!** "


	20. Fire

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

"Chaos has taken root within. I must destroy it all to prevent its spread."

All four of them stood stock still in shock. Then, Luvia groaned, "Truly, that brother of yours is tiresome. Was he dropped on the head when he was born?"

"I... wouldn't know..." Sakura replied very hesitantly.

"All that is irrelevant now," interrupted Rin with a frown, "Why is he there? Is he going after Illya now? And the more troubling question... did he find a way to become a Master? Because why else would he do something this stupid in the first place?"

"Enough. We should not delay if this is the case, not after what we saw last night," decided Bazett. Looking to the violet haired girl, "How fast can Assassin get to the castle?"

"Very quickly," was her reply. Pausing to turn aside, she continued, "Done. I hope she is still alive."

Rin was about to say something but was cut off by Lancer, "I do not see the young Mon-keigh surviving."

"You do not know that," Luvia retorted with annoyance.

"You. Have Archer target the inner courtyard," continued Lancer as she focused at Rin, ignoring the blonde, "His attack must destroy the entire area. Not a trace of the portal must remain."

"Eh? How did you know?" the twin tailed magus uttered in surprise.

The Servant ignored her too as she ended with, "Rider and I will act after Archer strikes. If you value your assassin's life, you will tell him to return."

"... Only after we find out if Illya-san survived the attack," Sakura stated firmly after a pause.

"Make haste," was the reply as the Servant of the Lance turned to face the direction of the castle.

* * *

The dust suddenly moved and parted as Berserker leaped up as high as he could, swinging a greatsword down onto him. A sword, colored gold and white with bluish hues of energy that slowly intensified around it. The Servant himself had gained a set of bronze armor with very elaborate decorations and markings. Assassin raised his hand and summoned a black sheet to block the attack while he turned back to Illya. True enough, the blade hit and the shield held. He was about the question her when he heard an audible crack after the Mad Servant swung again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a thin jagged line run right through the middle. With a great yell, the Servant swung a third time. He quickly dropped the albino Master and leaped back, the thin sheet of darkness shattered as Berserker broke through. He attempted the block another attack, but he had to throw himself to the side when the sword actually cut through the black sheet like butter. Eddie narrowed his eyes as he got to his feet.

_This will be difficult_...

He was then put on the defensive as he avoided a few slashes. Then, he dropped into a portal of his own and moved through the shadows to the other side of the room. Berserker quickly turned around and charged at him. Eddie stood still and mentally called the little one, who appeared and struck the Mad Servant's feet. He brought out a black drill under the falling Servant. Bright sparks flew as the bit ground against the armor. The little one then moved around and clawed at the Servant, knocking him off the drill. That led Eddie to knock him away with a hammer-formed fist.

_...but not impossible_.

Berserker tumbled through the air, landing shoulders first, yet bouncing once to land on his feet. Not wanting him to recover, the former Assassin quickly took to the air and dived at him. Kicking the Mad Servant in the head, he landed and summoned the little one again. It shot out of the ground in the form of a shark, sending the Servant airborne. Eddie went after, striking several times with his wings before turning his head into a giant axe blade and knocking him towards the stairs. He landed as Berserker was getting to his feet. He smiled, already anticipating his target's defeat. He quickly dashed towards his prey, gliding across the room, ready to finish him off. Annoyingly, his opponent came at him in return and started swinging again.

_That one recovered too fast_.

He started to dance around the slashes again. The Mad Servant seemed to be moving faster, somehow, as he had to utilize a lot more effort to avoid the glowing blade. Without warning, his head was suddenly grabbed by Berserker's large hand and slammed to the cracked floor. The Servant then dragged the former Assassin and threw him at the stairs.

Before he could get up, his whole body exploded in pain. Pain he had never experienced before.

* * *

Illya held her ringing head in her hands. Her vision swam a little as she tried to regain her bearings. Eventually, the disorientation stopped and she was able to take in what had happened. She watched as the fight flowed from one side to the other. She watched as the interloper fought off her Servant, seemingly gaining the upper hand.

_Fight back and win, Berserker! You are the strongest Servant! Show him that!_

A grin started to form on her little face when her Servant finally got his hand on the intruder. He slammed the head on the floor, cracking the stone tiles and causing the room to shudder. Then, he turned around and tossed the shadowy thing at the stairs. He lifted his sword and ran after it, running it through just as it landed on the carpeted steps. It then let out an unnatural scream, unlike anything she had heard before.

Roughly, Berserker withdrew the sword from the intruder's gut. It writhed and shivered, propping itself on its arms as it tried in vain to get up. Her Servant then lifted his weapon high, intent on cleaving the enemy in two. His body was suddenly engulfed in a gout of flame.

" Berserker!" she cried out as she looked to the origin of the flame. She was frozen in her spot, paralyzed by the inhuman sight. It had no legs nor any visible head. It was merely a purplish-blue skinned body with arms. Instead of hands, it had gaping mouths with razor sharp teeth. Similar mouths were scattered all over its body, its teeth opening and closing with loud clicking. Bright yellow smoke trailed out of all the mouths save one, which was busy shooting red and orange flames at her Servant.

The gout of flame stopped as the Mad Servant staggered backward. With a great roar, he was engulfed in a bright red aura. Any fire that covered him was extinguished. He then immediately charged at the inhuman thing and bisected it. The thing had fire burst out of its ends before dispersing into black ash. More clicking and clattering sounded at the top of the stairs as more abominations shuffled and hopped into view. With an angry cry, Berserker leaped at them, sword ready to kill more.

She quickly picked herself off the floor, intent on cheering him on. Such power! She could feel a faint warmness go through her body as her Servant began using more and more power.

_Amazing. I'm starting to feel the drain now. He must be really angry after all th- urk!_

Her thoughts were halted as she was grabbed by the throat once again and brought face to face with the shadowy intruder.

"It seems your Servant is quite difficult to put down, not human," it muttered out hoarsely, "It pains me to take this course of action, but you truly leave me no choice."

Her eyes widened with a tinge of fear in her heart as it lifted its free hand as it slowly transformed into a sharp blade. She then started to struggle as it dawned on her what he meant by that.

"A pity. I could have learned much..."

"BERSERKER!"

* * *

The scream spurned him on, blinking from tree to tree. The final Blink landed him just behind the door of the entrance. Assassin arrived in time to watch an enraged Berserker leap into the air. His armor was scorched heavily and was still on fire. On his descent, he swung his sword down onto the shadow being's head, who had its hand in the albino girl's chest. As that thing ripped out her heart, the Mad Servant disintegrated, showering the two with bright red dust. On the stairs, two twisted things hopped their way down.

_"Master, it is too late_ ," he sent to her, his tone regretful.

". _.. She... Senpai's sister_..."

He could feel the sadness through the link.

" _Let me see her, Assassin_."

" _Very well_ ," he replied. He watched as the body of the Einzbern fell to the floor. Her head rolled to face him, her wide red eyes staring in shock at him. As the abominations landed on the floor, his Master's brother appeared between them from out of thin air, the book floating beside him.

"Well, her Servant is dead. What will you do now?" the boy asked.

"Regretful. There was no other way to prevent her death," the dark being noted as it looked to him.

The Servant of Murder could sense his Master gasping in disbelief, " _Impossible_..."

"Now, we have to find a way to keep the heart alive.," the being continued, "I can only do so much."

"If I may suggest something?" asked the boy a moment after consulting the book, "All that heart needs is a warm body to sustain it until it does what it needs to do. I can be a temporary host."

"... No person would do so willingly," the shadow replied, "What are you planning to do with the heart?"

"The book says there is a hidden power in it. I would like to..." began the stepbrother.

" _Assassin_! _Get out of there_! _Now_!"

* * *

Standing on the tallest building in Fuyuki, Archer patiently waited for the order. He knew the castle from what he could recall, but he still needed to know exactly where to shoot. From what he got from his flabbergasted Master, he was to target the inner courtyard. It wasn't that helpful. Being on his lonesome, he had time to think of other things. Like how easy it would be to shoot the boy from here.

_With Saber being indisposed, it would be a simple thing to kill him. I have yet to use any of my more 'special' arrows, after all_.

He stretched out his hand, his bow materializing in his grip. However, before he could make an arrow...

_"Archer, you have to attack now. Assassin reached the castle but it was too late_ ," Rin told him through the link.

" _While my arrows can reach the castle, where exactly should I focus_?" he snarked at her, " _Maybe if I had more time, I could scout around to get a better idea of what I'm aiming at_."

Suddenly, a third voice echoed through the link, " _It seems I must do everything for you Mon-keigh_."

Without much of a proper warning, his mind was assailed by images. Images of the castle... both the aerial layout and, of the outer and inner grounds. While he didn't see any interior views, it was enough. He faced the direction of the castle and lifted his other hand. A red flame appeared in his hand. It swirled, grew and shaped itself into a sword. It was a curious thing. The hilt and guard were gold and blue. The blade was coiled and twisted into a spiral ending at a point. He notched the sword to his bow and pulled the string. As the string went taut, the sword was changed and altered to be more arrow-like. He aimed at the castle walls, at the point where directly behind it would be the portal.

**My core is twisted in madness...**

His immediate surrounding began to crackle with red lightning. The arrow-sword flashed red before glowing brightly in blue and white.

**Caladbolg.**

The arrow was released. The brightly gleaming projectile flew straight and true, shooting across the sky like a shooting star, leaving a trail of white behind it. He watched as he heard a muffled boom, signaling that it blew through the wall and struck its target. The sky around that vicinity shone white and blue before letting out several rings of smoke into the air.

" _Rin, Lancer. It is done_."

* * *

A deadened boom echoed through the forest followed by a gust of wind. Lancer turned to face the Masters and the remaining Servant. "Rider, have them construct a wall of ice, the tallest possible. Enclose the castle and the surrounding area. No daemon shall survive the night," she ordered as she called forth her spear.

"Kinda hard for me to do that if I don't know the place," Rider replied calmly as he brought out a snow white crystal.

The Servant turned around and the runes glowed. A second later, Rider stumbled back a bit. "See to that the wall stands firm. For all the failings of your kind, that is the least you can do," she stated as she swiftly turned back towards the castle and continued on her way.

The Servant of the Mount let out an annoyed groan as he broke the crystal. "You heard her. Let's get this wall made, ladies," he told the eidolons as he walked on ahead. Silence reigned only briefly before the Tohsaka broke it.

"Your Servant is dangerous," she stated, her glare bearing down on the Enforcer, "How could you let her act freely like that?"

Bazett let off a sigh before replying, "It pains me to admit this, but the situation is out of my control."

"I suppose using the Seals didn't work," said Luvia with a frown, her arms crossed in front.

"The one time I tried that, she anticipated it and almost killed me," the Irishwoman replied, looking down as to avoid any eye contact.

"That... is a bit too far..." muttered Sakura, wide eyed in surprise.

"Not to mention strange," interjected the blonde magus, "That brother of yours called her something else too. Eldar. Do any of you know any legends connected to that name?"

"Nothing that I can recall," muttered Rin, the other two also shaking their heads. She sighed and continued, "So, Berserker was defeated and Einzbern dead. So much for trying to stop the War..."

"Hey, Luvia... with that little girl dead, which one of you is gonna tell Shirou?" interjected Rider, "You know... with her being his long lost sister and all." That statement pretty much froze the three young magi.

"I doubt the thought ever crossed their minds, Rider," said Assassin as he materialized next to his Master, "Not immediately, at least."

"Senpai..." muttered Sakura worriedly as she held her hands close to her chest, "He would be crushed."

Sighing again, Bazett spoke up, "I am more worried about that book the boy had. Surely Archer's attack would have destroyed it as well."

"No, it would not. The boy and his shadowy ally were in another part of the castle when Archer attacked," revealed the Servant of Murder.

"Shadowy ally... don't tell me that priest was here too," groaned Luvia.

"Priest?" repeated the Matou in surprise.

"The priest we visited the other night. That mediator guy," explained Rider, "Come to find out, he tried attacking us with shadow powers. Confused the hell out of Luvia here."

"Shadow?" muttered the confused girl, "It... it can't be..."

"What are you talking about, Sakura?" asked Rin in confusion.

"N-n-nothing, it's nothing," stammered the former as she shook her head. The latter's face changed to a look of concern.

"Well, I think the wall's done," announced the Servant of the Mount as the two eidolons floated to his side, "I guess we can get back to the boy's house now."

* * *

Inside the church was only illuminated by moonlight shining through the windows. Then, the black dome rose and deposited its two occupants. Eddie looked down at the unconscious boy as wisps of smoke rose up from his clothes and body. He was not in such great shape either; still reeling from the extreme amount of pain that he received from his injury, courtesy of Berserker. He had never felt such pain before. It seared his very core. It would be the last time he would ever feel such pain. He was, at least, successful in his intent. It was unfortunate, though, that the small homunculus died. She could have answered many questions. A shame that she was a Master.

The boy sat up with a wheeze and a sharp intake of breath. He was then reduced to a coughing mess while the fake priest shed his shadowy cover. "Was your experiment a success?" he asked as he watched the boy regain his bearing.

"It was... until it was destroyed," growled Shinji, voice dripping with venom, "I am being opposed at every turn! Both times, both by Servants! If only this damned War waited a few years! I would have shown those damnable magi that my family has risen from the ashes of failure and degeneracy!" And as he got to his feet, he began to chuckle. "But... all is not lost... do you still have the heart?" he asked with certain glee as he turned to face the fake priest.

"I do," said the former as he held the slow beating organ up, surrounded by a pale green light, "Yet, I require my answer. What are you planning to do with the heart?"

"Why... I plan to use it to fully establish myself here," he exclaimed boldly with mad eyes, "Can you not feel the power in it? If I were my former self, I couldn't feel a beat. Now? It feels like a rising crescendo in a symphony! It is absolutely irresistible! Imagine what I could do with that power. In return for letting me use it, I shall keep it alive! You can, of course, graft it to my person. It will make it easier for me to use."

He mused the offer carefully. While it is true that the heart might stand a better chance at survival, he still cannot fully trust this boy with it. The question is, would it be worth the risk doing so? Should he trust this mad boy? He could procure someone different, but that will take time that the organ does not have. What he is doing is merely delaying the inevitable unless he could sustain it. Implanting it to his body would be ill advised too, since his blood... safe to say, it would be far too different to sustain it.

"It seems I am being forced into a corner," he muttered with a frown, finally making up his mind, "Very well, I will use your body for the heart."

"Absolutely wonderful!" the boy cackled with glee, his face a great big grin. "Let us be quick. I want to have a taste of that power," he announced as he unbuttoned his shirt.

"Truly distasteful," the former Servant muttered as he drew near the boy. When he placed his other hand on the former's chest, they were suddenly drowned in a sea of fire.

Every inch of air in the church ignited and the resulting explosion shook the very foundations of the church. Glass shattered and gouts of flame shot out from every gap and opening available. The building burned.

* * *

The journey back to the Emiya house was uneventful. Silence reigned as the car pulled up to the front gate. Each of the Master's had their minds preoccupied with their thoughts. Yet, as they disembarked, a faint orange and red tinge glowed in the sky. It was only slight, showing how far it was, but it was enough.

"I think your senior is under attack," said Luvia as the car pulled away to be parked elsewhere, catching everyone's attention. The other two followed her gaze and one of them showed indecision. "Caster did say she was going after him," she continued as she crossed her arms.

"...That probably means that he was able to escape, right?" asked Rin aloud as her brow creased.

"...Maybe. Would Caster be able to take care of him?" muttered Sakura as she averted her eyes.

"She seemed confident enough," replied the blonde, "But then again, how many more tricks could he pull out? I wouldn't put it past him to have something that could survive that." Looking to the twin tailed magus, she asked, "Do you know anything else about him? Other than he was your senior apprentice."

"Not much. His father and mine were friends, I think," mused the Tohsaka as she took on a thinking pose, quietly listing off some points about Kirei, "He was in the previous War... He was appointed my guardian after my father passed on. Occasionally, he would go outside the country on Church business. I learned some martial arts from him. He was a harsh teacher but I always assumed he meant well. Not once did he ever mention learning any other magecraft."

"Well, that isn't much. I do hope she takes him out," the former stated firmly, "Then, we can put off the War indefinitely so that we can fully investigate this curse."

"Will Caster agree to that?" asked the Matou suddenly.

"I doubt it," interjected Rin, "She didn't take to kindly to our proposal. There is no way she would agree to a truce." After a breath, she continued, "We may need to take out Caster before we can conduct our investigation... We might need Saber for this. The Magic Resistance of her class makes her a valued fighter in this since we don't know how powerful Caster is."

"But, what if she's still weakened?" asked Sakura worriedly.

"Hmm, Saber and Shirou would be against consuming souls and any restorative rituals that cause harm to others. That limits our choices," pondered Luvia, who then suggested without flinching, "Maybe... a tantric ritual?"

"Huh?"

"Erm... Sakura, what she means is..." said the twin tailed magus as she leaned in to whisper to her former sister, "Sex."

The word seemed to reverberate in her mind before causing a full blown blush. "Eh!?" she exclaimed.

"You don't know about it?" asked the blonde in surprise.

"She may not, but I do," stated the Tohsaka with a blush of her own, albeit not as severe as the third girl, "I never thought you to be a harlot, Edelfelt."

"Excuse me!?" the former exclaimed, coming very close to screaming, "Sorry for not being an uneducated dunce like her! I'm just glad that 'my' education was much more complete to yours."

"Such topics are considered taboo here, you dumb blonde, " the latter retorted harshly, her own voice rising to match, "That topic is addressed by our parents and guardians in the privacy of our own homes. That! Should not be talked about in public."

"Oh, I bet you definitely received such a good talk about it from a priest," sneered Luvia.

"You... you shut up!" Rin returned, a bit more hesitantly, "Damn it... I do not want to remember it. I only asked what the ritual entailed and he gave me the whole explanation... I did not sign up for that..." At that, the blonde magus started laughing.

"Er... can we not do this now?" asked Sakura, finally finding her voice, "Can we stop talking about s-s-s-s-sex and go inside? Please? I beg you."

The other two sighed. "Fine. Let's go in, Sakura," said a much calmer Rin.

Entering the house, they intended to head off to their respective rooms. However, they noticed the living room light was still on, the shine coming through the cracks and the thin door. Puzzled, they looked at each other and nodded. The three moved towards the room. When they opened it, they got the shock of their life. Shirou was sitting between Caster and Souichirou, with the teacher's hand clamped onto his shoulder. He looked extremely worried. He started to say something and winced as the teacher tightened his grip.

"Welcome back. Did you have a good time running around like rats?" greeted Caster with a rather mirthful smile, "I do hope it was worth it. Now, care to have a seat? We have much to talk about."


	21. Sacrifice 2.0

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

The wooden doors opened noiselessly. Outside two figures peered inside. Slowly, one of them stepped in to look around. The whole area was barren of life, only illuminated by moonlight. The one inside turned around to face the companion.

"The priest does not seem to be here," Souichirou informed the Servant, "I shall search the inner rooms."

"No. I think we should leave him a surprise," Caster put forth with a devilish smirk, "Whether he is after another Servant or he sleeps inside, he will die if he comes near it." She quickly made her way towards the altar. She lifted her hands and waved them at the area in front of said altar as she started chanting. It glowed orange and slowly faded out when she ended her chant.

"There," she declared, sounding quite satisfied with what she just did, "We can leave now."

He waited for her to walk past him before following after her. "Will it work?" he asked as he closed the door.

"...I rarely used that spell," she mused as they started their walk away from the church, "I prefer more immediate effects. Although, your question may have a point." She paused in her stride to turn around and look at the church once more. "However, I think we shouldn't have any problem," she stated after a few seconds, continuing with her walk, "Since I didn't blow you up by accident, the spell worked."

"How so?" he asked as he fell in her steps.

"Hmm, I guess I can make this brief since you haven't the faintest idea," she surmised as they made their way down to the road, "I placed my spell in a magical container I created within the floor. The spell, I have no problem with. The container, a different matter. Since I have less experience with that spell, I can't tell if I put too much into it or put too little."

"I understand," he replied as they slowed down as they neared their taxi, "Too much and there is difficulty in its release. Too little, and it is released too soon."

"Yes, how right you are," she praised as he opened the door for her. Stepping inside, she told him, "Alright, time for us to visit your student. We need to have another... talk. With any luck, we can draw the others out and chat with them too."

* * *

"Please, have a seat," invited Caster as she gestured to the other side of the table. The girls just stood there, glancing at each other, not knowing what to do nor how to react to this new development.

The girls just stood there, glancing at each other, not knowing what to do nor how to react to this new development. Then, Sakura stepped forward and sat down, drawing fleeting looks of surprise on the other two. The blonde and the twin tails soon followed suit, seating themselves at the table.

Caster was now sporting triumphant smirk. "Oh, before I forget," she said before tossing a piece of raw meat to the side. Before anyone could say anything, something small and brown darted forward to claim it. A weasel.

"Lady Luck seems to favor me tonight," she stated as she watched it play with its food, "I was thinking of kidnapping the young man here if not for Tamin alerting me about a car coming down the road. It would have been very odd if the car stopped somewhere here and catch me carting him off. What a wonderful surprise for me to see you three stepping out of it. Now, I get to find out what you three know as well." Tamin then gulped down the little morsel and squealed a bit before disappearing in a puff of smoke. "Now, let us get back to my questions," she then announced, "First, who did you go to visit tonight? Lancer or Berserker? Be sure to answer truthfully or things may get a little heated."

"Wait. Why are we supposed to tell you this?" protested Luvia a bit too quickly, having gotten over her shock, "We aren't even allies. Maybe if you would agree to the truce..."

"Is it wrong to scout out the competition?" Caster asked in return, "And I would rather have an answer right now. I am being quite generous here."

The three still looked hesitant until Shirou spoke up and asked, "... What happened to Illya?"

They froze. Seconds passed. "Umm... Senpai..." started Sakura very hesitantly, "There was a... Illya was..."

"When we arrived at the forest, Lancer was there with Bazett," took over Rin, "Illya was under attack... by Shinji and another unknown."

"You still don't believe it, do you," muttered the blonde aloud.

"Look, I still find it hard to believe that the shadowy thing Sakura saw was the fake priest," retorted the twin tailed magus, "It could have been just another magus. An outsider perhaps? Someone who wanted to join the War but wasn't selected?"

"To you? Maybe... but I know what I saw," the Edelfelt stated with finality.

"Anyway..." groaned out the former as she turned her attention back to Shirou, "Emiya... I'm sorry. We arrived too late to help."

Anyone who was observant could have spotted the increased pressure of the boy's grip as his whole body went rigid. A tremor and a shiver shook him. He was about to get up when a hand shot out and held him back.

"Emiya Shirou," started Souichirou without looking at him, "Nobody said that you could leave."

"But, Kuzuki-sensei! Illya..."

"Your sister is dead. The sooner you accept that, the easier it will be."

Everyone turned to look at the newcomer. "Perhaps you've forgotten, Emiya Shirou. People die when they are killed," stated Archer, fully materializing in another corner of the room, "If you go looking for her killers, the same will happen to you."

"Archer, enough," commanded Rin, trying to reign in her Servant. He frowned before going back to his astral form.

"No... he isn't wrong," muttered the red head, much to the surprise of the three girls, "But, maybe... maybe if I were a more capable magus, we could have gone together... and Saber would be able to do something, and..."

"Interesting," spoke up Caster, "I was wondering why I was forgotten, but now I got something interesting to think about." The words brought about a certain wariness to the girls. "If the previous night's activities tired out Saber that much, perhaps I can end this War here and now," mused Caster with a certain glee.

"I cannot allow that," said Assassin, materializing behind the teacher while his sword at the teacher's neck.

"And what makes you think you can stop me, Assassin?" asked the Servant of Sorcery, "I already have something ready to secure my victory, should I use it now. I am quite sure all of you would die before me."

"What did you do, Caster?" asked the Tohsaka guardedly.

"A spell I put up before we captured your friend," the former explained nonchalantly, "A great explosion that would go off once I left that would have covered my tracks. The three of you returning early may have messed up the plan a little, but I can easily detonate it now if you wish."

"You used the same spell at the church," murmured Sakura, catching the Servant's attention.

"Maybe," she admitted, "Why?"

"He may have survived."

She narrowed her eyes. "And what makes you so sure, little girl. How do I know you aren't lying?" she questioned the Matou.

"We may have tried a few times," Luvia informed reluctantly, "I even had him run over with the uh... former, limousine that I had. It didn't work that well."

"So... maybe you need some confirmation that the fake priest is dead in the first place," offered Rin with a sudden surge of confidence, "After all, didn't you say you were going to put him to the pyre first before burning our Servants?"

Her smile now replaced with a frown, Caster said, "Yes, I believe I did say that. But what if you're wrong? What if the priest really is dead, hmm?" When she did not get a reply, she offered, "How about this? I will spend two days searching for the priest. And I shall only need two days for the rat. At the end of it, all of you will meet me at a specified place and time to fight me. Then, we shall settle this War once and for all. Are we clear?"

"Agreed," declared the twin tailed magus before anyone else could say anything.

"As an added incentive to show up," announced the Servant of Sorcery as she stood up, "Should you tuck your tails between your legs and run, I will burn this entire. Town. To the ground. So dismiss me at your pleasure."

Ignoring the horrified faces of the Masters, she sauntered out of the room, Souichirou trailing behind her.

"Stop! What is the meaning of this?"

The Servant turned around to see Saber. The girl was leaning against the wall as she steadied herself with great effort, barely on her feet.

"I suggest you save your strength, Saber," Caster told her with a smirk, "As to why? I'll let them fill you in. Good night."

She continued on her way out of the house, ignoring the Servant of the Sword's weak protests. Having sent away their ride earlier, the Master and Servant pair resorted to walking back to the temple in the cold dead of night.

"You walk a fine line, Caster," the teacher spoke up with intent to caution.

"When you work with fire as I have, you learn to take calculated risks," she replied, "Like I said earlier, Lady Luck has favored me tonight. After all, they can't even keep up when the topic's change."

* * *

As Caster left, the girls let loose a sigh of relief. Luvia sat in her place, mulling over what just happened. Rin got up and carefully ushered Saber into the room. Sakura slowly moved over to comfort Shirou when the boy slammed his clenched fists on the table, his head bowed over and close to his forearms.

"Senpai," she muttered with worry as one hand was placed on his shoulder while the other went to his back.

"I... I feel so helpless," he whispered lightly and quite tiredly, "If only... if only..."

"Not even a skilled magus can be in two places at once, Shirou," the Edelfelt told him, "I think only the Wizard Marshal can do that in some unknown way."

"Should I... maybe it was the right way... taking Shinji's offer..." he continued to ramble.

"Are you mad, Emiya?" the twin tailed magus chastised quickly after having seated his Servant, "Have you forgotten what the grimoire did to Shinji? It might take you over too."

"But..."

"What we need to do... is to get Saber back to fighting form," concluded the blonde magus. Standing up, she looked at the other two girls and asked, "So... who will be doing the tantric ritual with them? I volunteer, of course."

"What? Now? Aren't you moving too fast?" protested Rin with vehemence, "She gave us two days. Two days! We should plan things out before rushing headlong into this."

"Rin... this ritual... would assist me?" asked Saber, suddenly interrupting the heated discussion. Getting nods from both girls, she continued, "Do not tarry... I would... like a chance to train Shirou." This brought the boy out of his moroseness.

"Saber..." he mumbled in surprise.

"In that case, I should volunteer as well," declared the Tohsaka with a bit of a blush. Turning to her former sister, "Sakura. Will you volunteer?"

Said person went red with embarrassment. "I-I-I don't know..." she stammered, "I mean..."

"What in the world are you three talking about?" questioned Shirou with a frown on his face, "What is a tantric ritual?"

"Firstly, remember our explanation the other night? About Servants and Command Seals?" reminded Rin.

"Yes..."

"There are several ways to replenish a Servant's energy," she quickly lectured, "Taking control of a leyline to tap it, consuming human souls and transfer of energy through fluids, among some. The first is out of the question, as the key leyline is at the temple and under Caster's control. The second, I doubt you would be willing to do. The third... I doubt Saber would be willing to drink your blood."

"That... is true," agreed Saber with a stern look, "I would not harm him just... to replenish my energy."

"With blood out of the picture, that leaves... semen," the former ended her talk by avoiding his eyes.

"Wait, if you mean..."

"Yes, Senpai. That... that's what she means," spoke up Sakura after being silent for so long, stopping him from saying that word.

"And I think the decision should be made between the three of us," added Luvia.

"Wait, why are you asking Sakura to volunteer?" the boy asked her in confusion, "Why are you and Tohsaka volunteering? Shouldn't you let me choose?"

"And who would you pick, Emiya?" Rin asked immediately, giving him a sideways glance.

"..."

"And that proves my point," she summed up to the blushing boy, who was busy averting his eyes. Turning back to Sakura, she repeated the question, "So... Sakura? Are you going to volunteer?"

"Or maybe she is much too embarrassed to say she knows about the birds and the bees," Luvia mused in a joking manner, wanting the Matou to hurry up and say her piece.

Slowly, the girl in question got to her feet, her eyes looking down at the table. "I... don't know anything about the ritual," she admitted, much to the other two's surprise, "Ever since grandfather died, I haven't been able to continue my 'lessons'. The other uncle doesn't have any training so he can't do anything about it either." Then, as she looked up to face them, "Which is why... I volunteer Rin-senpai to do it."

"Sakura..." the former sister muttered in shock.

"You are a reliable person... and that is partly the reason why," Sakura explained, her voice slowly getting hitched in places, as if holding back her tears, "I can trust you to remain focused on the ritual, to guide Senpai and Saber, and nothing else."

Suffice to say, everyone present was stunned by her words.

"...Uh, I shall bring Saber to her room," spoke up Rin, breaking the silence first. She pulled the Servant's arm around her shoulder and set her on her shaky feet.

"Sakura, are you sure about this?" asked Shirou with concern, "Should I really be doing this? I mean, even if everyone else agrees..."

"Senpai," she interrupted, "I know how it feels to be helpless. I... At least you can help Saber this way."

"Sakura..."

"Hey, Emiya. Stop wasting time," said the twin tailed magus, still supporting Saber while standing in the hall, "Come."

He got up and looked at the violet haired girl, then to the doorway, then to her again. With a sigh and a reddening of his cheeks, he went after the Tohsaka heiress.

Slowly, the Matou got up and mumbled her apologies as she left the table, heading to the room she shared with Taiga.

"That was a brave thing you did, Sakura," Luvia said before the former went out the room, their backs turned to each other, "I suppose I cannot fault your choice. Your reasons are sound, after all."

"Thank you," she muttered before leaving the room, a lone tear escaping her eye.

* * *

The Mion River.

It divides the city of Fuyuki into two as it empties into the sea. While in the beginning, it was pristine, years of carrying the waste of the city have slowly dulled it. Two main storm drains, one for each side, pour its payload into its waters. At the entrance to the drain exiting the Shinto district, a pair of red eyes stared out into its vast expanse.

" _So, it is morning_ ," he thought to himself. He then turned around to walk inside. It did not take long to appear at the first junction. It was large and spacious, much like the other one he had visited ten years ago. In one corner was a bed. The wooden frame was still sturdy and the mattress still held together, since the metal springs have yet to poke through. The sheets that once covered it, however, were half burnt and left behind smoky remains. The smell still wafted through, mingling with the dry smell of grime. He stepped up to it and looked down at its sleeping occupant.

He then turned around to walk inside. It did not take long to appear at the first junction. It was large and spacious, much like the other one he had visited ten years ago. In one corner was a bed. The wooden frame was still sturdy and the mattress still held together, since the metal springs have yet to poke through. The sheets that once covered it, however, were half burnt and left behind smoky remains. The smell still wafted through, mingling with the dry smell of grime. How fortunate that the bed was retrieved on time, or it would have been eaten by the voracious flames. He stepped up to it and looked down at its sleeping occupant. Well, more like unconscious.

The ragged sheets barely covered Shinji. His body were covered in burn injuries, but most of them were somewhat healed, especially around his torso. His chest was slightly raised higher than normal, pulsating even. The operation was extremely difficult and taxing on the mind. Magecraft can only do so much and the gaps were filled with shadow work. At the end of it all, the heart of the Grail was now housed in the boy's frail body. Breathing was shallow. Then again, the boy was resting after all.

Eddie looked around. " _Where is that book_?" he wondered as he looked over the place, " _Does it have a mind of its own? Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised. It once was Caster's, after all_."

"W-w-where..."

"So... he wakes..." he muttered quietly as he gave the boy a look over. He warned, "It is best not to move too much if you want to heal properly."

"The book... the book..." the boy moaned.

As if on cue, the air beside him shimmered and the book slowly emerged from the ripples in the air. It was glowing, the hues alternating between red and purple.

"Please... up..." he pleaded.

Eddie tilted his head, wondering if there was a point to this. Shadowy arms reached out from under the bed to move the boy, with extreme care of course.

"Thanks..." Shinji hissed out as the book alighted on his map and opened. The glowing pages flipped through until the middle section. The boy then stared at it. The former Servant couldn't fathom his behavior. Slowly, two symbols became visible on the opposite pages. Greek letters for Alpha and Omega.

" _Now what would this mean_..." he mused inwardly. Is this book making a mockery of his former Master's profession? It only proves that it truly does have a mind of its own. It seems that Caster's creation carries a bit of him within. Hopefully, it doesn't intend to bring Caster back.

"I... agree..."

The former narrowed his eyes. What is the boy agreeing to? He didn't see any words on the pages, just the two symbols. Has the book driven the boy mad?

Said person placed a shaky, badly burnt hand on the pages

With suddenness and absence of warning, a pulse of power slammed Eddie into the wall across the room. Shaking his head to regain his bearings, he was able to catch sight of pages flying out of the book. They attached themselves to the struggling Matou, slowly enveloping his body, eventually covering him from head to toe and drowning out his screams.

_What is this_?

He cautiously drifted over to the wriggling mummy. The book, with only the spine and the cover remaining, tore itself to pieces, The nine scraps were them wrapped around the waist of the now still body of the boy. As he neared, it slowly levitated before being enveloped in the same glow as before. This time, he was able to stand his ground instead of being blown away like before. Now, instead of being mummified in page-like bandages, Shunji wore pale colored skin robes held together with a darkened sash of the same. The boy then moved the hood off his head. His mop of dark blue hair was restored to its former glory as if never burned and he had a rather crazed grin on his face.

Eddie narrowed his eyes. The bump on the boy's chest has disappeared. "What have you done, Matou Shinji?" he asked, slowly preparing to react should the answer be unfavorable.

"Matou Shinji... I am him... and I am not him," the boy declared with glee, "Ah! But I know what you want! The heart, right? It is still here, safe within me." He then gave his chest a pat for emphasis.

"I see..." he replied, still feeling suspicious, "And what do you mean by being Matou and not being him?"

A dark chuckle ensued. "The book and I are now one. I have gained all knowledge within it!" the boy declared with a manic glee, "You cannot imagine how much power I now have at the tip of my finger. I. Am. Power! I can certainly take on the mantle of sorcerer if I wish, and none can stop me!"

"Fortune has favored you, Matou. What about the heart?" he reminded.

"Of course. Of course. I have not forgotten, fake priest," said the boy as he waved it off, "Not to worry. I shall remain here until the Grail is summoned. Then the time comes, I shall remove the heart myself and release the Grail."

"I shall hold you to your word," the former Servant informed him before sinking into his own shadow. It was time to see what the other participants were doing. It reminded him of the War ten years ago, when his death was faked to enable him to spy on the others. How fitting that he should employ the same methods again.


	22. To Save

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

With barely a sound, the door to the toilet opened without a sound. Slowly, Sakura stepped in and sighed. Her sleep was... she did not have a good night's sleep. As much as she kept telling herself that the ritual was necessary, her heart still ached at the thought of her Senpai doing it with someone else. Two others. Two other girls. She opened the tap and splashed water on her face, the cold shocking her awake. She leaned on the sink, her hands pressed against the sides.

" _No, I can't do this. I can't be thinking this way. I mean, I already placed my trust in Rin_ ," she mulled over as she closed her eyes, " _I trust her. It shouldn't be difficult... getting Senpai... to..._ " Her cheeks began to stain red. She quickly slapped them, stopping her thoughts from going... there... Senpai... naked...

Thankfully, the door opened and halted that train of thought immediately. Her eyes were raised open when her former sister greeted her grumpily, "Good morning..."

The violet haired girl scooted out of the way, letting the latter take charge of the sink. Nobody said a word, even after Rin washed her face.

"Sakura..." started Rin. Not hearing any reply, she continued, "I... I guess you're wondering how it went. The ritual was completed without a problem. Yes, without a problem..."

Something was odd about what she said. Sakura couldn't really tell what, though. She did smell a little odd and she voiced that opinion.

"Er... ah... you could smell that?" the disheveled magus muttered as she avoided looking at her, "Well... it was the first time for the both of them... so I may have given some encouragement... physical encouragement, to them..."

"Wait... you... helped them..." the violet haired girl repeated in disbelief, her imagination going into overdrive. The red-faced Matou then continued to stammer, "But... you... did you..."

"No! I swear I didn't! The encouragement stopped at... well, I may have... given more encouragement nearing the end of the ritual just to be sure..." Rin replied, sporting a similar blush, "I mean, you saw how Saber was. It was more for her than for him. But, that was all! I didn't do anything else with them. I promise!"

The former stared at her for a few seconds before sighing. "Sorry, Rin. I placed my trust in you, yet I'm thinking such things," she apologized tiredly, her shoulders sagging and her head tilting down, "I just... I..."

The other girl turned and stared at her before flashing an understanding smile, "I think I know what you mean. You wanted to be his first."

"I don't think I can ever give him my first," she muttered softly, not looking up.

"Eh? What do you..."

"Hello? Is that you in there, Sakura?" called out Taiga accompanied with a knock on the door.

The both of them stood up straight in surprise, totally not expecting her off all people to be waiting outside. Still, Sakura was kind of glad for the interruption as she didn't want to give an explanation to her little slip-up. Not just yet.

"Sensei! Why are you out of your bed?" she replied quickly, deftly opening and closing the door, "You should be resting!"

"But I'm already feeling a bit better!" quipped the teacher with a grin, "There's no way a bit of nausea can keep me down."

"I didn't see that yesterday," she deadpanned as she turned the supposed invalid around and pushed her on her way by the shoulders, "You should get back to your bed, Sensei, just to be on the safe side."

"Ha... ok... If it makes you feel better," the older woman relented. She then asked, "So... was someone else in there?"

"Rin-senpai wanted to use the bathroom next, so it's her turn now," Sakura explained, hoping it would be enough.

"Oh? I guess I can wait for a-ah..." and the Tiger of Fuyuki let loose a loud sneeze.

"So... I guess you should go back to bed, Fujimura-sensei," she suggested politely with a kind smile to the now sheepish teacher.

* * *

Sakura took charge of the kitchen that morning. Breakfast went on with its usual fanfare, with her dragging Rin to the table and ignoring Luvia. Saber showed up that morning, eating her meal as if nothing out of the ordinary happened last night. Shirou, on the other hand, was a little fidgety and pretty much not wanting to look at his Servant in the eye. However, it did not help him in the slightest as Saber herself decided to take charge of his training after breakfast was over.

"Do you think you're ready for this?"Assassin asked the young man as the boy and his Servant stood opposite each other.

"I don't think I am... but I have to get better," he said"resolutely as he stood in a ready stance, "I must get better. Illya died because I wasn't good enough. I can't let any more senseless deaths happen."

The Servant of Murder nodded, understanding the boy's determination, "I have been fighting you with a single-handed style. She will be coming at you with a two-handed style. Do your best to avoid direct attacks."

The boy nodded and paid his attention to the Servant in front. Assassin then stepped back and announced, "Begin!"

"Prepare yourself, Shirou," Saber declared as she struck first, stepping forward and swinging downward. Shirou attempted to block but did not anticipate the force behind her attack. He ended up stumbling back but still on his feet. Saber kept up the offense and swung blow after blow, the boy narrowly parrying each one.

Assassin nodded with approval as the spar continued. The two separated and stared at each other. The young man was still on his feet, his breath becoming labored, sweat accumulating on his brow and trickling down the side. The Servant was a picture of calm, her breathing level and her face not even damp. Then, Shirou took in a deep breath before making his own offensive move. He seemed to do a little better in this regard, with more fluid movements as well as mixing it up between single-handed and two-handed attacks. Still, it felt a bit odd for him to improve this much.

" _Might be a fast learner_ ," the former Lord Protector mused in silence. Saber and Shirou kept up their pace, the spar once again shifting to Saber's favor as she proceeded on her counter-attack until a rather heavy swing floored the boy. Saber then went to his side and knelt beside the boy as he caught his breath.

"You have improved," stated Assassin as he stepped up to them, "However, you should weigh your options more carefully. If against a more superior foe, remaining on the defensive and seeking escape would be a better option."

"I... have... to get... stronger," he huffed in between breaths.

The former scoffed and said, "If this were a real fight, you would be dead and unable to protect anyone. Instead, delay the enemy while the one you are protecting runs away. Then, retreat and live to fight another day."

"You should listen to reason, Shirou," chided Saber, "Foolishness is the enemy."

"Alright. Rest up," ordered Assassin before the boy had a chance for rebuttal, "I shall be your opponent for your next spar."

* * *

The car hummed and rumbled, with the air conditioning at almost full capacity. Luvia waited patiently for her Servant to return. She spared a look outside. The sun was shining with only a few clouds in the sky.

"Rider is certainly taking a while," she muttered to herself, "Granted I told him to park here while he went up ahead as a curious bystander. I suppose he decided not to arouse suspicion by not coming back here in that form." Then, the sound of a door opening and the shaking of the car due to the shift in weight prompted her to say, "So, Rider, did they find anything?"

"Nope. They didn't find a body anywhere," he replied as he looked at her through the rearview mirror.

"Tch, so we don't know if he still lives," she muttered with annoyance, "Without a way to prove he is dead..."

"Still think Caster would come for us?" he asked as he started the car.

"She probably would," she said confidently, though she wished it wasn't true, "She would be the kind to have full confidence in her abilities. Hopefully, Sakura put enough doubt in her mind for her to reconsider."

"And if she doesn't?" he asked as he started to drive off.

"If she is unable to scry or detect him, then she will go ahead with her threat," she summed up as she took to looking at the mirror as well, "Thankfully, Saber recovered. We should be able to win with our numbers."

"Hope so," he muttered as he made his way back to the Emiya house, "He might show up to. That girl's brother too."

"Maybe... but he might have died," she said thoughtfully, "If he was with the fake priest, he would have most likely died in the fire. There was no way he could have survived. He would have been completely unprepared."

"Again, no body," he reminded her as he stopped at a light.

"I know, I know," she groaned as she leaned back in her seat as she crossed her arms, "If only we had a way to find out what happened..."

"Huh, too bad Lancer can't help us," he quipped off-handedly, "She doesn't come off as a team player."

"Not unless it benefits her," she agreed wholeheartedly, "If I am honest, were I not taking part in the War, I would pity the Enforcer."

"Aaand, we're back at square one," sounded Rider as he drove into the road leading to the house. Then, he mentioned, "Huh, look what we have here..."

* * *

"Sakura?"

"Hmm?" she sounded as the two girls continued to make their way home after their food run.

"Earlier... you said something strange," Rin mentioned quite hesitantly. At that, the latter froze. The Tohsaka magus was puzzled and turned to face her.

"You... heard that?" the violet haired girl muttered.

"I did," she affirmed, feeling a little concerned about her reaction, "What did you mean by that? Just because he... was with Saber... that doesn't mean you don't have a chance."

Sakura fell silent at that. Rin couldn't really tell how she was going to react.

"I... it's not that..." the Matou said softly, her face downcast, "It was just... my... that training..."

She blinked, slowly taking in what her former sister just said. "Sakura... why are you bringing that up now?" she asked, surprised that she would bring that particular topic up, "Years ago, you said you didn't wish to talk about it when I asked. What does that have to do with... what happened last night?"

"I... It's nothing," she replied as she shook her head.

"No... I don't believe you. Something must have happened," the former insisted, trying her best to recall what she knew from all those years ago, "Kariya-ojiisan said something about the Matou 'practice' devouring life... and that his father started on you already." She then noticed that the latter's arms and shoulders shaking, her head bowed down.

"Please... stop..." Sakura ground out, "Please, Rin. I.. I don't want to remember that... that..."

"Sakura... alright. I won't press you anymore," she said as she stepped up to her and placed her hand on a shoulder after swapping her plastic bags to the other. It was clear that whatever magecraft that was taught to her former sister at that young age traumatized her. After the past ten years, Sakura still hasn't gotten over it. Even if she wasn't family anymore, she still felt the urge to try and help. But she didn't know how. "Come, let's go back to Emiya's house. I need to prepare dinner... and you need to check up on Fujimura-sensei and that boy of yours," she finally said after that moment of silence.

"Rin," the Matou groaned after looking up, but her morose face had a relieved smile. It was then a very familiar car drove up to them.

"Hello, Rin, Sakura," greeted Luvia as she rolled down the window, "Do you need my help?"

"We don't need your help," she replied immediately.

"Sure," replied the other girl.

"Sakura?" she muttered in surprise.

"The sooner we return to the house, the sooner we can do what we need to do," reasoned the violet haired girl.

"Really, Rin," interrupted the blonde magus with a sly smirk, "You should be more accommodating. Like Sakura. Your life would be easier that way. Unless you like doing things the hard way..."

"... Fine," she ground out as she grit her teeth. As much as she disliked the Edelfelt, Sakura had a point. Things would move faster.

* * *

In the end, Luvia invited herself to dinner. Guessing that correctly and having bought extra, Rin was able to prepare dinner without much trouble. Safe to say, Taiga was happy even though she was confined to her room by Sakura's insistence. She liked trying out new foods, like Chinese cuisine.

"I have to admit, Rin. That was quite good," praised the blonde magus, "Perhaps I should hire you as one of my chefs."

"I refuse," the twin tailed girl retorted with a frown. The doorbell rang and the Matou excused herself from the room to answer it.

"I must thank you, Rin," spoke up Saber, interrupting the brewing argument, "It was refreshing to be on my feet once again."

"Uhm, it was nothing," the former replied with a blush as she looked away, "Please, do not mention it."

"Still, you have my gratitude," the latter affirmed. Turning to Shirou, "How did you find today's training, Shirou?"

"I... still have a long way to go," he admitted as he looked down at his tea.

"There is no shame in admitting your shortcomings," the Servant advised him with a smile, "There is always time to improve. We still have another day, after all."

"Good advice," said Noel as she came in, Sakura by her side. She was still clad in her police uniform, much to everyone's surprise.

"It is good to see you again, Noel," said Saber as the former Servant took a seat at the table.

"Oh! Good to see you've recovered, Saber," she replied. Noticing all the curious glances sent her way, she sighed and said, "My leave has been canceled yesterday evening. I had to come in and take up the evening shift after that explosion at the church. Mind telling me who did that?"

After the three girls filled her in on what happened the previous day, she groaned, "Caster? Really? And now you have one more day?" Getting nods from all of them, she continued, "And today, you were able to get Saber back on her feet and prepare for tomorrow. I really hope all of you are ready for this."

"With Saber taking on Caster, this should be easy," declared Luvia confidently, "Rin and I will take care of the bounded field around the fight. Sakura and Shirou should be able to 'take care' of Kuzuki-sensei."

"But Edelfelt-senpai, I'm not sure if we could..." reminded Sakura, stealing a glance at the only male Master there.

"You mean you're not sure if he would want to do it..." muttered Rin, understanding what she meant. Turning to him, she asked, "Emiya, would you be willing to... kill..."

"No! We can't do that. There has to be a way to convince Kuzuki-sensei to give up being a Master," he vehemently protested.

"Did you see him ever question her decision while he was here last night?" asked the blonde, all trace of mirth gone from her face. Getting no answer, she continued, "That much is clear. There is no way the convince him otherwise. He is committed to helping her."

"I know you want to prevent unnecessary deaths, but I think this is the one time that you can't do that, Emiya," said the twin tailed magus.

"I... don't believe that. There has to be a way," he objected.

"Emiya... you can't save everyone," Noel spoke up with a somber tone, "Even if you don't want anyone to die or be killed, there will always be someone else who would make that decision for you."

"But..."

"You are a fool if you think you do not need to choose, boy," cut in Archer as he materialized in the corner, "Every hero has faced this one time or another. There is no escaping it."

"We could just knock him out if we can't convince him. We could save him that way," he still insisted.

"Caster will have to rely on her Master to protect herself now that Avenger has died. You wouldn't have a chance to do it, not that you can do it in the first place," the Servant of the Bow told him, the boy falling silent. Turning to Luvia, he continued, "It would be a mistake to discount that move. She is sure to have some protective spells in her arsenal."

"Kuzuki-sensei? Fight? Are you sure?" said Rin in disbelief, "He doesn't have any martial arts in his background that I know of."

"That you know of," the former repeated, "Who knows? Maybe he can fight but doesn't show it."

"That will become another hindrance," mused Luvia with a frown as she took on a thinking pose, "Hmm, I'm afraid I do not know anything about him either."

"Instead, why not find a way to stop Kuzuki-sensei from helping her? I might be able to do it," spoke up Sakura.

"That may work... if you prepare it beforehand," the twin tailed magus agreed with a smirk, "You are coming into this quite well, Sakura."

"It does sound like you have everything covered now," said Noel with a hint of gladness, pausing to take stock of the time, "I think I should take my leave now. I need to work tomorrow."

"Wait... please... one question," Shirou suddenly announced softly, "Mackenzie-san, were you ever forced to kill anyone?"

The former Servant stared at him for a moment before replying, "...Maybe... I rather not talk about it. Sorry, Emiya."

"It... it's fine," he said. Then, he continued aloud, "What about Rider and Assassin? Were you ever forced to kill anyone?"

"Well... a few times," Rider stated calmly as he materialized, "I hate to say it but Archer's right. Sometimes, you are forced to choose who to save. I can't say I like it but that's the life of a hero."

"No... I do not think I was ever forced to kill anyone," said Assassin as he appeared, "Although, there are many times when I wanted to kill my enemies but didn't."

"Why?" the red head asked in confusion.

"Sometimes... the situation has gone already to hell," replied the Servant of Murder. Getting confused looks, he explained, "There was a plague in the city. If I added any more bodies to the already growing pile, it would have made it worse. There was enough panic. No need to add more. However..." He stared at everyone at that pause, "Even though I left them alive, my enemies probably wished they were dead by the time I was done with them."

"Wh-what do you mean?" the boy asked.

"Hmm, let me tell you a story about a family," the Servant explained, "Three brothers in this family. They owned many silver mines, mines that brought the family great wealth and standing within the city. They had power, with the elder twin brothers having seats at the Parliament... but they wanted more. Everyone had fallen on hard times, including their family. However, the way that the twins decided to regain their better times was to support a conspiracy to assassinate the Empress. The assassin was successful and blame was put on her bodyguard. They were also tasked with keeping her daughter in secret after her kidnapping. I saved her... and when I was done with the twins... well, last I heard, they had their heads shaved, their eyes put out, their tongues cut off and were busy working in one of the mines that belonged to their family."

Reactions ranged from horrified, shock, surprise, and reluctant acceptance. Assassin sighed and said, "It is getting late and storytelling is over. We should turn in. Good night." He shifted back to his astral form. Seconds later, Rider and Archer did the same. Then, Noel left and Sakura followed after to send her on her way.

"I suppose I should go as well," said Luvia as she took her leave as well, "Truth be told, at least we have a plan instead of going in blind. The finer points can be sorted out tomorrow. We have another day, after all."

Rin sighed and got up to leave as well. "Good night, Emiya, Saber," she said at the doorway, turning to look at him and the remaining Servant, "Get some rest."

"Shirou, are you alright?" asked Saber when all that was left in the room was the both of them, "Were you going to ask me the same question?"

"I... I'm still in... I still can't believe what Assassin said," the boy admitted haltingly, "That he did all those things to those twins."

"Do... you think it was right for him to do so?" she asked him, "Or do you think death was the better option."

"I... I... I don't know. I really don't know," he muttered, a sense of despair creeping into his voice, "I want to say he did the right thing by not killing them, but... I don't know..."

"Come, Shirou. You should return to your room for respite," she said as she coaxed him to his feet, "Tiredness will become the enemy if this continues." Slowly, Saber was able to guide her Master to his room, in spite of his depressed state.


	23. Into The Night

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

Into The Night

_"-vo!?_ "

_A girl dressed in white ran towards her Servant's embrace._

_"C***o!It's you!"_

_He lifted her up, spinning round as she flew with him. He set her down on her feet with gentle care._

_"You're wearing a mask to sneak around, aren't you?"_

_Her question gives a glimpse of her intelligence. Quite clever for a girl her age._

_"They told me you were... Head chopped off, in prison. Dead. Like Mother."_

_She gasped. This girl experienced a horrible thing and yet was still very calm._

_"That seems a long time ago... But you're not dead! So now we can leave. I have a plan. I almost got away twice."_

_Again, that cleverness._

_"There's a special door to come and go, for special people. I'll show you. And if anyone tries to stop us, you can fight them."_

_She watched as Assassin lifted his mask and put it on again._

Sakura awoke. She blinked and then slowly sat up on her futon. She looked to her side. Taiga was still asleep. She took in a deep breath and exhaled. She pushed her blanket off and got to her feet. The dream was still on her mind. It was quite vivid, experiencing it through his eyes. That was the princess, wasn't it?

She kept this in mind as she went about her morning routine. Within no time, she made her way to the kitchen. She smiled as she heard her Senpai busying himself with breakfast preparations.

"Good morning, Senpai," she greeted him demurely.

"Good morning, Sakura," he said, a bit quiet himself. Far from the happier tone that used to greet her.

"Is something wrong, Senpai?" she asked, her worried feelings plain on her face.

The boy sighed as he turned off the stove. "It... it's nothing... it's just that story Assassin told us," he told her as he wiped his hands on the hand towel.

"Senpai?" she repeated, feeling confused.

"The twin brothers. While he spared them, he left them to suffer," he stated as he went around the counter and sat at the table. She moved with him and took her own seat. "While I'm fine with him letting them live, what he did to them afterward was... too much."

The both of them stared at the table in silence.

"Assassin probably had no other choice but to do so."

They looked to the doorway, finding Luvia standing there with her arms crossed in front of her. She was already dressed in her usual rich blue outfit, looking as if she was preparing to leave.

"He already said that there was a plague spreading through the city," she explained, "Not to mention the assassination of the Empress. It was probably enough to send the whole place into turmoil. Most likely, he thought it was a lot safer to have them disappear mysteriously than to publicly announce their death, plunging the city into more chaos. There might have been even more deaths had he not done so. And judging by the words he used, there was a whole lot more than he was letting on."

"...I guess that makes sense," he said with the utmost reluctance, "I still don't like it that he left the twins like that... but I think I can understand why he did it. Thank you, Luvia."

"Ho ho ho, it was nothing," she said happily, a tint of pink on her cheeks. Calming herself down, she turned her attention to Sakura and said, "I shall be leaving now. Would you care to see me out?"

"You won't be staying? I could always go back to the kitchen and cook a bit more," said Shirou in surprise.

"Hmm, as nice as that would be, I can't," she informed him her reasons, "Your teacher would be asking too many questions. I will swing by later for your magus training anyway."

"Alright. I shouldn't take up more of your time then," he relented.

She nodded and the two girls left the room. Not a word was said between them as they walked to the front door. Which brought more trouble to their doorstep.

"Eh? Kuzuki-sensei?" exclaimed Sakura after opening the door. He looked as if he was going to press the doorbell.

"I see. Inform them that Caster will see them tonight," he announced to them.

"Wait a minute! I thought we had two whole days," the blonde magus protested.

"She could not find him," he stated calmly, "Since he is nowhere to be found, then he must be dead. By her reasoning, she should not waste any more time being misled by the other Masters."

The two girls were unable to say anything, much less come up with a reply. "The road to the temple sees very little traffic at night. Caster has chosen that place to face you and your Servants," he informed them further before turning to leave, "I will leave you all to prepare."

"This is not looking good," Luvia spoke up, breaking the silence that remained after the teacher left, "Sakura, I trust you can inform the others?"

"Ah, yes!" she stammered, knocked out of her stunned state.

"Right, I think I have to prepare a few things myself," the blonde muttered as she left in a hurry.

Sakura stood there in the doorway for a moment longer before she closed it. She stepped away and changed her slippers, intent on finding her former sister immediately. The plan has to be finalized that morning.

* * *

"So, I take it my Master informed you on what happened earlier?" asked Assassin as he stood in the middle of the dojo, bamboo sword already in hand. Before him were Shirou and Saber.

The boy in front of him sighed. "Yes, she did," he replied worriedly, "Right after Fuji-nee left for a teacher's meeting... it sounded rather convenient though... Sakura told everyone. Now Tohsaka has gone and shut herself in her room after having dragged Sakura with her."

"I would imagine she would be going over the plan and making sure that everything is covered," the Servant said, making his assumptions known, "Even so, we should continue your training. Get your sword and take up your position."

He watched as the boy went to the rack and much to his surprise, picked up two bamboo swords.

"Shirou? What are you doing?" asked Saber in surprise.

"Hmm? I don't recall you having proficiency in dual-wielding," Assassin stated as the boy took up his place.

"I... I want to try this... at least get a feel for this," admitted the red head.

"Very well. Let us begin," he said as he got into his stance. A lunge forward started the spar. The Servant kept a careful eye on the boy as he attacked again and again. Once more, the boy seemed to have improved. His movements have become more efficient, his blocking more swift and he even attempted to counter-attack once or twice... though they lacked any power behind them. He also seemed to be a lot more at ease with two swords. After a final series of attacks, he took a step back.

"Enough for now," he announced. Shirou moved to the side quite slowly and sat down, breathing deeply. The former Lord Protector turned to Saber and asked, "What do you think of his performance so far?"

She pondered for a moment before replying with a stern face, "His movements remind me of Archer. I am unsure if to praise him for finally finding something suitable for himself or to chastise him for wasting our time."

"Saber..." the boy groaned, but a glare from said Servant pretty much silenced him.

"Hmm," Assassin sounded with a smirk, "While his movements have improved again, his counterattacks are clumsy. It may do him well to get someone with more experience with this." With that, he strode over to the dojo's entrance and shouted out, "Archer!"

"What do you want, Assassin?" the bow man's voice ground out a few seconds later. Catching sight of the boy, he muttered, "Why are we spending time encouraging this one to kill himself? Please don't tell me I need to pitch in as well?"

"Oi, that was uncalled for," retorted Shirou with a frown, "If you don't want to train me, you could always refuse."

"I would like to know why, if that is his answer," chipped in the Servant of Murder with a calculating gaze.

"The boy is a fool," the Servant of the Bow scowled, "He honestly thinks he could save everyone. All you are doing is enabling that foolish notion and sending him to an early grave. You saw what happened during the first fight we had against Berserker. Can you honestly tell me he wouldn't do such a thing in the future?"

"He may, he may not," stated Assassin stoically, "However, he is still young. Whatever experiences he gets right now may as well shape him for the future. I'm sure he learned his lesson well in that first fight with Berserker." He paused to glance over at the resting boy, "At least I hope so. Charging in without much of a plan was pretty much the worst thing you could have done, boy." Turning back to the Servant in red, he continued, "I suppose your refusal is your final answer?"

"Yes. I refuse to encourage him any further. I suggest the same to you and Saber," the archer retorted with a wry expression, "Nothing good can come of this. Only a trail of bodies, despair... and regret."

"Then I'll make sure I won't end up that way," Shirou fired back resolutely as he stood up angrily, "I won't let anyone else die. I won't fall into despair. Most of all, I won't regret my actions."

"Hmph, we'll see," growled Archer as he turned and disappeared.

"Bold words," commented the former Lord Protector thoughtfully, "Saber, take a sword and stand with me."

"Eh?" sounded the boy.

"If you wish to keep your word to Archer, you need to improve," he stated as the two Servants took up position in front of the red head, "To do that, your training needs to be ramped up. For this, you will have two opponents today."

"Wait... WHAT!?"

* * *

"Done?" asked Rider.

"Yes. Please make your way to our house," ordered Luvia after making herself comfortable.

"So, what was it you were doing that took so long?" he asked as he turned the car around and went down the street.

"Mostly scouting out the place," she revealed as she frowned while looking straight at the rearview mirror, "You would think that Caster would have placed her own Bounded Field along that stretch of road. I found nothing of the sort, so I was setting it up myself. Since there was too much road to cover, I had to make do with a rather large one centered around that abandoned station. Hopefully, we can keep the fighting there. It would be too much of a hassle to explain anything extra away since our mediator is interfering in the War."

"Well... former mediator, if we believe Caster," he added as he made a turn.

"I don't," she groused, "That man is a slippery character. Plus, he is Rin's senior. He might have learned something to prevent being detected."

"Even by Caster?" he questioned with disbelief, "You sure about that?"

"...that does sound quite improbable," she admitted with a sigh, "However, it is not too improbable either. He may have discovered something that the Association knows of."

"Ho boy... that's gonna be tough to fight. I suppose that's why we've been having trouble getting the drop on him," he mused aloud.

"Anyway, we have other things to worry about. The evening's festivities will not disappoint, I'm sure," she declared with certainty.

* * *

The black dome receded and Kirei stepped out into a living room. He was carrying several plastic bags, mostly filled with food, the logo of Hongzhou Feast Hall: Taishan emblazoned on the side. With the utmost calm, he moved to the dining table and set the bags on it.

"Where did you go, fake priest," called out Shinji. He was seated on the couch in the adjoining living room, facing the coffee table and the television. His arms were over the shoulders of the furniture while his feet were raised on the table.

"Food. You may think you are fine, but you have only recently recovered and your body requires proper food," the former Assassin explained as he laid out a small feast on the table. Spring rolls. Steamed rice. An egg dish with minced meat. Several kinds of dumplings. Mapo tofu, both mild and hot. Fried noodles. Three small bags of different sauces.

"Eh, sounds like you bought a lot," the boy replied, hearing the rustling of plastic and the sound of plastic containers being placed on the table.

"I do not know if you prefer such fare," he admitted, now collecting the bags and tossing them aside, "Regardless, it is something to fill your stomach." Glancing at the medium-sized tub containing the spicy version of the tofu, he mused aloud, "I still have yet to understand 'his' preference for this dish."

"Right, right. Energy is energy, whatever it comes from," the boy declared as he got up from his seat, "Fine, we eat. Then, we prepare."

"What happened to the family?" he asked, looking up to his ally.

"Oh, they're around," Shinji told him with a manic grin as he glanced behind. The four members of the family, whose house they had taken over. They were bound and gagged, The mother and father were on the side armchairs while their two children were on the couch. He was seated between them beforehand. The father seemed tired out from struggling. The mother and the children had red eyes, presumably from crying.

Kirei shook his head before sitting down. Tonight... another Servant will die.

* * *

"Everyone ready?" asked Rider as he looked behind. His glowering Master and her rival on the first set of seats while Shirou and Sakura one the second set. Saber, meanwhile, was riding shotgun. Getting a subdued chorus of 'Yes', he drove the car out.

"Are you sure we should be seated like this?" asked Saber after a few seconds, "I should be by Shirou's side for his protection."

"We should be fine," assured the Servant of the Mount, sounding rather easy-going, "I don't think Caster would go all out to ambush us. More likely she would be waiting for us at that place already. Besides, Luvia prepared something just in case we are. No worries."

Behind them, Rin addressed the other Masters, "Everyone knows what they need to do?"

"Yes," affirmed Sakura, "Capture Kuzuki-sensei and prevent him from acting after Saber lures him closer to us."

"Protect everyone," muttered Shirou as he stared at the metal bar in his hand.

"Assist you in taking down Caster," added Luvia, "Though I highly doubt we could do anything. She is in the Caster class after all."

"We do what we can," said the twin tailed magus, "We still have numbers on our side so we may not need to do much after all. After making sure Kuzuki-sensei doesn't interfere, our Servants should be able to take out Caster without much problem."

"I hope that's the case," the blonde girl stated with concern, "There is also your senior to consider."

"And I've said it before, that shadow thing was not my senior," the former growled out through gritted teeth, "I don't believe it."

"HOLD ON!" yelled out Rider in warning, interrupting the latter's reply. He suddenly swerved, his passengers being tossed from side to side before the car settled down to speed on the road.

"What the hell was that Rider?" shouted Luvia.

"Our shadowy friend appeared in the middle of the road," said the Servant loudly as the car braked to a halt, "Out! You guys have to move on foot. I got us as close to the place as we could."

"Do you need help in fending him off?" asked Saber as everyone exited the vehicle.

"Nah, I'm good," he said with a grin, "I think you guys can handle it fine. There's still three of you."

"Stay safe, Rider," ordered his Master, "Win and get back to me."

"No problem," he replied. Then he frowned. "Hold on, Master," he said as he fumbled around his pockets. Then, he pulled out a squarish, metallic device. "Here, catch!" he said as he tossed the item to her.

"What?" she mumbled as she caught it easily, "You still have this useless thing?"

"Hey! I still haven't gotten it to working condition yet," he retorted in good nature, "There's still a few songs I haven't heard too. I'll be back for it, so keep it safe for me, alright?"

"Edelfelt, hurry up! You're falling behind," spoke up Rin, the others already having walked ahead.

"Fine. I'll keep this nonsense for you. Just make sure to take it back," said Luvia declared as she hurried after them.

"You got it," he replied as he waved them off. After making sure they had moved out of sight, he turned back down the road they came from with a stern glare. "Okay, buddy. Time for you to show up and get the beating of a lifetime," he muttered out as he watched for anything out of the ordinary. He didn't have that long to wait.

A dark circle grew out on the road, out from which a dome rose. The inky blackness receded and revealed Kirei.

"So, they left you to face me," he stated nonchalantly.

"I don't know what your deal is or how you could hide so well," Rider said sternly as he got into a boxing stance, "But tonight, you're going down."

"Really... I think it would be quite the opposite," the fake priest replied with a smirk as the oily darkness surged up and enveloped him, "It will be your death. And maybe even more afterward should I be fortunate."

* * *

The group of four Masters kept their hurried pace, only presenting the facade of calmness. In fact, they were troubled as Rider stayed behind to delay their pursuer. While they still had numbers, Luvia and Rin had thought that his powers over ice would level the elemental playing field.

"Could we still beat Caster?"

Apparently, Sakura shared their doubts as she asked with a worried tone.

"We can," Rin replied, trying to project a hint of confidence, "We still have Saber."

"Do not worry. I'm sure it won't take Rider that long to beat that man," added Luvia, attempting to do the same.

"Sakura, we can win. I'm sure we will," said Shirou with a lot more conviction. It was his words that somehow calmed her down.

They trudged on and it did not take long for them to reach the abandoned gas station. The atmosphere was quite serene, if only a bit cold. Broken windows. Dirtied, greasy tiles. Empty shelves and cash register. And below, dry empty tanks. Supposedly a safe battleground, where there wasn't an excessive danger to them. However, it was Caster they were going to fight.

"I suppose you set up the area beforehand?" questioned the twin tailed magus as she looked around warily.

"I did," affirmed the blonde, "I only hope it is enough."

"Ready, Saber?" asked the red head.

"I am," replied the former King, hefting her invisible sword at the ready.

"I think all of us are ready, Senpai," added the violet haired.

"Indeed," agreed Assassin as he materialized.

"Hmph," sounded off Archer as he did so too.

Then, from out of the corner of her eye, Luvia noticed the metal box Rider passed to her lit up on one side. Puzzled, she brought it up to have a closer look. The plastic display seemed to have lit up with a muted neon green with some words and numbers on it. The right side seemed to be ticking down the time.

"Track three... Heavy Day?" she muttered in confusion. Wasn't this ridiculous thing broken or something?

"Look out!" shouted Shirou as a ball of raging inferno suddenly lit the area past the empty lot and was heading straight for them.

Assassin immediately Blink-ed forward and threw up a time bubble with a hand. Seconds ticked by as the fireball went in and slowed down considerably. On its appearance, several more plumes of flame were fired at them. All of them trapped in the bubble.

"Saber, if you will," he stated calmly. As the Servant of the Sword strode forward, Sakura threw up a wall of shadow between her and them. Presumably, the time bubble stopped as the roar of superheated air exploded at the same time.

Thus began the battle against Caster.


	24. Heavy Day

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

The two combatants stood there, keeping a careful eye on one another.

"Blizzara," said Rider as he threw a punch forward, an icy floe surging to where the shadow was.

The dark priest leaped over it, growing wings out of his back and dived forward. Rider crossed his arms in front, a flare of light appearing to block a taloned foot that pushed him back. As he landed, the Servant threw out a punch. The priest leaned back and a jagged tendril whipped out of the ground in response. A second punch destroyed it and two more were blocked by a wall of shadow. Another tendril lashed out, this time with a club like head. Rider quickly stepped out of reach and rushed in with another punch. The shadow man deflected the blow and elbowed him in the chest, following up with a punch of his own to the solar plexus. Rider stumbled back as he leaned forward, clutching his stomach in pain. He felt his head being grabbed and his whole body being thrown.

His body crashed into one of the nearby walls, a web of cracks surrounding the point of impact. As he fell forward, he was struck in the chest by a fish-like shadow, sending his body arching behind. The next attack was aimed at his back; a shadow shark striking him like a missile. As he flew upwards, the fish transformed into the winged form of the shadow priest, said wings flapping forward to slam into the Servant, sending him crashing to the ground. Just as he landed, the former Assassin sank into the ground and repeated the cycle. The second time he was slammed to the ground, Kirei sent out four shadow snakes, each one snapping at his arms. This was just a distraction; a shadow drill burst out of the ground and ground into his back for a few seconds before dissipating. He struggled to get to his feet as the shadow man slowly glided over.

"Urgh, don't count me out just yet," the Servant of the Mount gritted out as he got back to his fighting stance.

Kirei said nothing but sent out a spray of solid shadow that fanned out like a splatter of water. Once more, a flare of white light blocked it while Rider was still pushed back.

"Ruin," he announced as a sphere of glowing energy sped through the air and struck his opponent's chest. He tried rushing forward again but had to stop and block a swipe from a shadow creature that came up to Kirei's defense. Meanwhile, the priest had recovered and summoned another drill. The Servant roared in pain and fell forward into a saw blade that the creature turned into. He was flung back into the wall and slid down, his immaculate shirt and suit torn to pieces.

"What is this, Rider?" the priest asked as if to sneer at him, "What happened to me 'going down', hmm?"

* * *

As the hellish fire died out, Saber shot out from the licking tongues still on the asphalt road straight at Caster. Very calmly, Souichirou stepped in between them. As the Servant came nearer, she swung her invisible sword. Much to her shock, the teacher was able to catch the blade between his left thigh and elbow.

"How did he..." muttered Luvia in shock as the black wall was taken away by Sakura.

"You underestimate me, Saber," declared the former killer before kicking the sword aside.

He ran past the Servant, much to her surprise, and slammed a hammer fist on the back of her neck before retreating a few steps. She staggered back herself before getting into a defensive stance, but all the while gasping in pain. Blood began seeping onto her collar. The teacher took a few steps forward but had to leap back as two arrows became embedded into the ground just in front of him. He turned towards the abandoned station; Archer was busy notching another arrow to his black bow. However, the Servant of the Bow had to fade out and escape as a flaming projectile slammed onto the roof and blowing it up, showering the place with debris and embers. Sakura had to throw up another wall to protect the others.

Souichirou nodded his thanks to Caster and then approached Saber step by step as he threw his punches at her. She was able to dodge most of them but a few still struck her guard.

"His fists are being strengthened by magic?" Shirou sounded in sudden realization. The girls said nothing but continued to watch.

"You evade well," the teacher told the Servant gasping before him, "...Ah, it's not that your eyes are keen, but your intuition." He then landed another hammer fist on her shoulder. She staggered back, breathing becoming heavier, her left arm hanging uselessly by her side. He intended to continue his assault but he was forced to step back again to avoid a slash. Assassin stood defensively in front of Saber.

"Assassin... I can still... fight..." the knight huffed out in between breaths.

"Not like this. Save your strength for Caster. I shall handle him," the Servant of Murder told her before turning his full attention to Souichirou. "Your fighting style is odd. Who are you?" he asked as Saber stepped back warily to the side of the road.

"A former killer," were the only words that the teacher said before unleashing another flurry of blows. Assassin was able to keep out of range, forcing the former to trail after him.

"A former killer?" repeated Luvia as she narrowed her eyes, "It seems we were wrong about him, after all."

"Not to mention Archer was right in assuming that Caster knew some protective spells," added Rin with a frown.

"A little bit more, Assassin," Sakura muttered as she knelt down to touch the ground, eyeing the fight closely. Closer and closer they came, her Servant luring the teacher to them.

Suddenly, multiple tendrils of inky blackness shot out and wrapped around the former killer's legs and arms. Struggle as he may, Souichirou could not release himself. Up ahead, everyone could hear Caster chanting and saw her moving arms forming another ball of fire. Just as she released it, Saber dashed in to block it and the flames splashed harmlessly over her.

"Out of the way," Archer suddenly announced behind the Masters as he notched a glowing red arrow to his bow. Walking past them, he drew the bowstring taut. "Move, Saber," he shouted.

Before she could comply, a cacophony of shrieks and roars came from the forest without any warning.

"BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!"

* * *

Rider slowly picked himself up. Gritting his teeth, he powered against the pain and got into his stance.

"Admittedly, you are resilient," said Kirei with indifference, his arms crossed in front, "However, you will not succeed."

"I could say... the same to you," the Servant retorted raggedly as a crystal secretly formed in the palm of his hand.

"Enough. Time to finish this," the priest said as he swiftly glided over and grabbed Rider by the throat, "Die." The shadows rose up and wrapped the Servant, forming a large ball. Kirei plunged in his other hand to finish him off. However, the priest found himself unable to move his arms. And then, the ball exploded and released white mist, throwing him off.

As his back was slammed to the ground by gravity, the mist dispersed and revealed Rider. He had his eidolons out and Stiria was busy healing him up. "Thanks for the help, ladies," the Servant said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Your help will not save you here," droned out the priest, on his feet once more.

A shadow creature emerged out of the asphalt as he dashed forward. He shot out razor sharp tendrils aimed at the Servant's chest. Nix immediately intercepted with her wheel, smashing the tendrils away. Rider slammed his fists together and went on the offensive. The shadow priest blocked the first two punches but was struck in the side by Nix's wheel. Taking advantage of this, the Servant punched the priest's face and then his gut. As Kirei doubled over, an uppercut slammed into his jaw, lifting him up and enabling Rider to kick him up into the air.

"Let's show him what we can do," the Cocoon hero called out as he leaped after him. As if on cue, Nix sent out a floe of ice under them, a large ice crystal blooming out of the ground. Just then, Rider slammed a double axe handle onto Kirei, the body shooting down and crashing into the crystal. It shattered to pieces.

"Sovereign..."

Rider hovered in the air, his fist reared back. A shining white glow surrounded it.

"...Fist!"

In an instant, he fell, punching the dark priest right in the center. A shockwave erupted out, blowing away the ice and mist. The body lay there... unmoving, without a twitch in his finger. His black coating blown off by Rider's best attack. The eidolons flew up to him, floating by his sides. Rider stared at what seemed to be a dead body for a moment before turning towards the road leading up to the temple.

"We better get back to them, ladies," he stated as he walked away from the point of impact.

The priest twitched.

* * *

Eight bloodletters charged out of the forest. Archer immediately changed targets and sent his arrow into a daemon's throat. Saber mirrored their charge and clashed blades with the first one she met. Assassin Blink-ed forward, drawing his folding sword as well.

Caster was quite surprised. She thought she would be losing but it seemed that fortune had smiled on her again. Or so she thought as she ducked out of the way from small balls of pink fire. She glared in the direction of the cackles of laughter coming from two grossly misshapen things. Amidst their laughter, they conjured more balls of flame and threw it at her. She got out of the way again, yelling, "You dare challenge me, cretins!" She chanted and motioned with her hands, forming a crackling ball of electricity in front of her. She side-stepped another volley of flames before unleashing her spell on them, the sphere arcing through the air and practically electrocuting the offending horrors to death.

"Rin-senpai, we should set sensei free," said Sakura, concerned with the way things are going. Shirou said nothing, busy covering her protectively.

"Yes. Let him go," Rin replied, still staring at the fight. Meanwhile, Luvia was sending looks back to the road while gripping the electronic device tightly, presumably watching out for Rider.

The shadows retracted themselves. Souichirou nodded to them and made his way back. By that time, the other Servants had already dispatched the bloodletters. Then, Sakura gasped, "Nii-san?"

Shinji was floating just above the treetops, wearing a pale-colored robe held together with a darker colored sash. He looked over the shocked, younger Masters with a nonchalant gaze.

"Shinji! Why are you doing this!?" yelled out Shirou as he gripped his makeshift weapon tightly.

However, the boy ignored them and focused on Caster instead. "So... you're the one that tried to kill me that night," he stated, much to the surprise of the group of four.

"I wanted the priest, actually," the Servant admitted with a shrug, "The fact that you got caught in it is of no consequence."

"Is that so?" the Matou said with a manic grin forming on his face, "Then you would appreciate my time buying. The others can handle the horned ones." At that, multiple red glows flashed from the forest and moments later, another eight bloodletters rushed out from the trees.

Meanwhile, Caster noticed the bodies of the things she killed began to tremble and quiver. Suddenly, they bolted upright and split down the center, changing from pink to blue. Cries of anguish were blurted out of the shaping mouths of the four horrors. They wobbled shakily as they charged straight at her while throwing hastily made azure flames.

"Allow me, Caster," the teacher said as he stepped in to protect her. His attacks were made with surgical precision, aimed for the more vulnerable points of the misshapen things while dodging their wildly flailing arms that attempted to grab him. One by one, they fell screaming and gurgling in pain.

"Good riddance," a pleased Caster stated. Turning back to Shinji, "Boy, it seems you like to play with fire. Let's see how you like being burned again."

* * *

Rider broke into a run. "Ladies, let's get go-" he started but froze as a huge shadow thing rose up and bit the car, snapping it in half and somehow eating most of it in the process. As it sank back into the ground, he muttered, "What in..."

A cracking sound came from his left as the priest suddenly appeared in front of them and grabbed his throat. At the same time, he sent a clubbed tendril into Stiria's head, slamming her into a nearby wall. Nix dove forward with her wheel but a shadow creature rose up and grabbed her throat. It immediately sank into the ground, crashing her head to the floor.

"As I have said before, you will not succeed," Kirei repeated his earlier words. He formed shadow claws on his free hand and raked them over Rider's throat as he dropped him. The Servant was kicked over to the same wall that Stiria slammed into.

As Rider got up shakily, the shadow priest sent a spinning roundhouse kick to his chest, the priest's foot becoming a large hammer. He then sent a large shadow spike into the Servant's leg, and then four large snake's heads sprung out and bit down into the limbs. As the snakes disappeared, Kirei summoned a creature that turned into a large buzzsaw that cut into Rider's chest as he fell forward. At the same time, the shadows enveloped the former and he sent another spike into the latter's other leg. A large tendril snaked over him and formed a large dragon's head that clamped down on a shoulder while he summoned another buzzsaw.

"Time for you to see why... **Resistance is Futile** ," he stated, stepping back as Rider slid down the wall, bloodied and out of breath. The priest's shadow began twisting and morphing into a large dragon's head which darted forward and consumed Rider's shadow whole.

"Damn it... looks like I can't get it back from you, Luvia," Rider sighed in resignation as his body began breaking down into snow-white motes of light, "At least I did my best... no regrets."

Kirei continued staring until the Servant fully faded out. He then sunk into a puddle of his own shadow and disappeared.

Seconds later, Lancer and Bazett stepped into view. "Do you see now? The mediator is taking matters into his own hands," said the Servant as she surveyed the destruction caused during the fight.

"To think he is this formidable," the enforcer muttered as she did the same, "And I trusted him too. Early on, he could have killed me and taken you, Lancer. Is this part of his plot as well?"

"I do not presume to know what you Mon-keigh think," the Eldar stated as she turned to walk up the road, "Come. If you wish to keep your allies alive, you would take heed of my words."

* * *

He started as a chuckle, but slowly devolved into full-blown laughter. This pretty much irked Caster greatly.

"Now I'm starting to wonder if you've gone mad," she sneered as she began casting another spell. Suddenly, a horrendously acrid smell invaded her nose accompanied by the smell of burning flesh. It came from her tether.

"Kuzuki!" she yelled in shock as she watched the teacher get roasted alive by cackling, yellow shapes of what looked to by living flames. The four blue attackers were nowhere to be seen. She stood there frozen as the eight gleeful abominations of magic danced around the burning corpse.

"Sensei!" shouted Shirou and Sakura in horror.

Rin stood there, also frozen in shock. Luvia wasn't paying attention to the scene, preoccupied with staring down the road they came from in surprise and dread. The Servants, having dispatched the bloodletters, watched on helplessly. They could only grip their weapons tightly, preparing to attack Shinji, who was slowly floating down to the ground. His cloak somehow gained a strange symbol on the back and front, an eight-pointed star.

"I feel... invigorated!" he exclaimed in his gloating, "This is what it means to profit from sacrifice!? Then, I should not let it stop!"

Caster began muttering and motioned her hands in front of her, her right hand gaining an electrical crackle to it. With a yell, she unleashed it at the oblivious flames that were still dancing around the burning body of the teacher. This prompted the three other Servants charged at the Matou boy. A streak of light ran past the group of Masters, heading straight for him as well. In response, yellow glowing chains broke out of the ground and ensnared every Master and Servant present.

"Foul spawn of Chaos," cursed Lancer as the light under her feet died down.

"You seem to have this in hand," said a shadowy being that rose out of the ground.

Sakura's breath hitched. "...Master?" she whispered rather softly.

"You... you mad priest!" shouted Luvia very angrily, "Why are you interfering with the War!?"

"You ditz, that is... not..." started Rin, but her voice died away in shock as the shadow fell away to reveal Kirei.

"You... the priest... what happened... who..." muttered Saber, reeling from the revelation.

"Rejoice. Your villain has been revealed," said the priest with a smirk, focusing straight at the boy, who gritted his teeth and gripped his weapon tightly. He turned to the boy and said, "How is the heart?"

"Invigorating!" was the reply, "Now, we simply need the others."

"A matter that is easy to rectify," the shadowy priest stated as he walked over to the struggling Caster, who noticed his approach.

"Damn you to the Nine Hells! When I get out of my binds, I will-"

His hand clamped on her throat as the shadows rose up to wrap her up in a ball. He thrust his other hand into the sphere and pulled. Hard. Drawing blood. Sakura closed her eyes with a grimace. Shirou yelled in protest. Luvia and Rin stood stock still. Seconds later the sphere broke apart, releasing a smattering of embers that slowly disappeared. Then, Shinji suddenly doubled over clutching his chest, cackling with glee as he did so. The robes slowly became stained blue and an eight-pointed star appeared on his forehead.

"Yes... yes... YES! I FEEL IT!" he shrieked with ecstasy, "UNLIMITED POWER!"

He fell to his knees and slammed both palms on the road. A glowing circle etched itself on the cold ground, glowing a red-bronze color. He began muttering something unintelligible. The circle crackled with energy, its mirror began to appear overhead, the electricity surging between them.

"No! He must not continue!" shouted Lancer as she increased her struggling. This prompted the other Servants to do so as well.

Within the circle's mirror, a portal swirled into existence. Something fell through. A daemon. It looked similar to the bloodletters they had fought before. There were differences, though. It partially armored. It wore a cloak and it brought out a sense of great terror to everyone who saw it; adorned on it were a multitude of skulls... skulls that were sewn into the very fabric itself. Whether they were from all its victims or that there were more where that came from, it did not matter.

"Oh, great Champion of the Blood God, your enemies stand before you," declared Shinji as the Chains of Torment suddenly faded out of reality, releasing the Servants and their Masters. Turning to Kirei, he said, "We are done here. Let us go."

The priest sank into his shadow and disappeared while the Matou boy faded out of existence. The daemon roared out a challenge and moved to engage the nearest opponent.

It had skulls to take.


	25. The Path Taken

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

The Path Taken

Lancer, for all her calm, knew that she was not strong enough to even think of defeating the Skulltaker. However, she knew enough of it that it will not stop until it took the skull of the strongest Servant here. And if Saber dies tonight, this thing they call a War will face an even bleaker aftermath. She also knew there was no way out for her to leave alive, lest the fate of this world be left at the mercy of Chaos. So, she must fight to the best of her ability. She parried the dark blade aside and stabbed. She then stepped back as the same blade came inches too close to her helm.

"We have to help her," she heard the boy tell his allies. She spun out of the way while swinging the spear at its head. It ducked under while it took a swing at her legs.

"All should leave now," she announced calmly as she continued to dance away from the daemon of Khorne, who tried to stab her stomach, "This fight is not yours to take part in."

"But-"

"Lancer..." her connection to the world huffed out as she finally arrived at the scene, "What..."

"Do not concern yourself in this, Mon-keigh," she repeated as she narrowly dodged another swing to the head, and then swung wide to buy some breathing space, "Take your allies and leave. Your fate will not end here if you-"

Much to her surprise, the daemon suddenly parried aside her Singing Spear and grabbed her by the helm. It roared as it lifted her up and slammed her to the ground. Then, she felt herself being tossed aside and she crashed into a tree. Thank Isha she was still able to maintain her grip on the spear. She picked herself off the ground and scanned the area to find the Chaos spawn. The helm was cracked around where the daemon laid its hand on it. Whether it was close to breaking off or not, she couldn't really tell. Nonetheless, she had to do something about the Skulltaker and with haste.

* * *

Saber grunted as the daemon turned its attention to her, quickly blocking its sword with her own. Her defense with one hand was not as sturdy as she would be with both hands, but she was still capable of turning away a quick attack. Yet, it was relentless and two more slashes put her on the defensive. Suddenly, a hand shot past her guard and grabbed her throat. It started to tighten its grip and she started choking. She still was able to instinctively throw out a random slash, to which she was released and air began to pass freely once more.

Before the daemon could continue its attack, Assassin Blink-ed in to attack. His stab was unfortunately blocked. It proceeded to randomly slash at the Servant, with every attack parried away. He couldn't fathom why until he got stabbed in his left shoulder. He was then kicked down after the blade was pulled out, the wound bleeding profusely. Skulltaker would have had the killing blow until a shadow shell wrapped him up. It turned its gaze to Sakura, who had her hands out towards them. It roared and teleported to her with frightening suddenness, its black sword raised.

"Sakura!"

* * *

His eyes widened as he shouted her name. He dropped his reinforced pipe, having felt that it wouldn't do much good. He saw how the black sword was used. He felt a sense of rage and hate emanating from it. The pipe wasn't enough.

" _I need something_!" he thought desperately as he ran in between them, " _I need a weapon to protect her_! _A weapon... weapons like... like the ones he had_!"

The image of the twin swords, one black and one white, burned in his mind. Their picture was the clearest, as was Archer's stance using them on the daemons in his Reality Marble.

" **Trace**... **On**."

He could feel heat flowing down his arms, the air around his hands pricking them with electricity. As he brought them up in a cross formation to block the dark blade, the swords materialized just as they made contact. For a second it held. And then, they shattered right before his widened eyes.

" **Hammer**..."

Time seemed to slow and he watched helplessly as the blade inched nearer to his head.

"... **of the Wind King!** "

* * *

Saber shot forward, slamming into the daemon's side, saving her Master from certain death. Her left arm was usable once more, but it was still weak. Still, she took a swing at her formidable foe just as the both of them landed on their feet. It was blocked, unfortunately, but that drew its attention back to her. It roared and started its random slashing again. However, Saber noticed something odd.

" _It is directing its heavier attacks to my left_ ," she realized, a frown forming on her face as she fended off another attack.

She began jumping back to the center of the battleground. One, to make sure the fight didn't spill over into the neighborhood down the road. Two, to draw it away from their escape route. Hopefully, their Masters can escape and the Servants can work together to take it down. However, her senses shouted a warning and she stopped just in time to avoid a slash to her head.

"... _It is_ _moving around like Assassin,_ " she realized grimly, as she parried another strike to her left. Suddenly, Archer darted past her and moved on the offense. The daemon leaped back and stared at the intervening Servant.

"Archer?"

"I will buy time for you to retreat," he stated calmly as he took on an open stance, "You and Assassin are injured. Lancer looked somewhat stunned. I will stall this thing until she is ready to take it on again. Until then, get our Masters out of the way."

She watched as he darted forward to clash blades with the daemonic champion. What Archer said was sound. She still needed time to recover from the harsh beating given to her by Caster's Master. Then, she turned reluctantly to the others and said, "Retreat is open to us. Perhaps it is the best option."

However, Rin suddenly cried, "Archer!"

* * *

To the Servant of the Bow, the option as quite clear. He had to employ delaying tactics. That much was clear to Lancer. However, it would be folly for him to think he could match blades with this particular daemon of Blood God. Perhaps she should...

Her thoughts halted as she continued to observe the battle. Why was she even considering this? Giving her life for the Mon-keigh planet. All her life, it had been her duty to guide her craftworld. To fight for its survival. Her people's survival. And yet, she was now thinking of doing the same for them?

" _Is it perhaps the current situation is no different to what I face every day_?" she mused as Archer's Master cried out in horror, "... _If any Rillietann catches wind of my thoughts, I would never hear the end of this_... _Very well. I shall gift them this fighting chance._ "

She opened a channel to her tether to this world, " _Tell them to retreat_."

From far off, her Master stared at her, " _What are you doing_?"

" _This daemon knows no rest. It will hunt until it takes its skull_ ," she told Bazett as she slowly gathered her power, " _I will hold it here. I pray mine is enough_."

"... _You won't be walking away from this_ ," the enforcer replied with a knowing finality.

" _How very perceptive of you_ ," she stated as she could feel the power of the Warp fully coursing through her, " _Lead them to safety. My final word to you. Farewell, Bazett Fraga McRemitz_."

She cut the connection, feeling the surprise of the human fading out. She reached for her ghost helm and removed it. It was cracked, with one of the jagged lines cutting through one of the eyes, and thus would hinder her sight. With the Warp relatively calm, she need not fear the perils of other daemons. Setting it on the ground, she stood up and stretched out her hand towards her opponent. Towards its head. And unleashed her full might at its head and mind.

* * *

The black blade was buried in Archer's thigh. With great relish, the daemon pulled it out harshly and kicked the Servant down. The four young Master's felt helpless. With all their Servants either injured or dead, they had no idea what to do. It was in this instance that they noticed the runes on Lancer's armor began glowing. She had removed her helm, revealing tied up red hair and a most beautiful complexion. Her piercing blue eyes had a steely white glow to it. Past her red locks, on her forehead was a white tattoo of an eye within a triangle with five lines radiating out from the eye. If not for her knife-like ears pointing out of the side of her head, she could have passed for a normal human.

She reached out and bolts of lightning seemed to leap out of her outstretched hand to the daemon's head.

"I am Taldeer, Farseer of Ulthanash Shelwé!" she shouted as the glow in her eyes intensified, "I shall be your doom!"

The daemon roared and warped next to her with a slash. She stepped back to dodge and then charged to meet it, starting her own dance of death.

"We have to go," spoke up Bazett, reminding the remaining Masters of Archer's earlier request.

"...Let's go," Luvia finally said, "But not here. We should move down the road in case that thing decides to attack Sakura again."

The other three looked at each other and nodded. Assassin, who moved to his Master's side after Saber charged into the daemon's side, astralized. Archer did the same. Saber hurried to Shirou's side. Then the enforcer hurriedly ushered them away before the daemon could notice. They remained silent during their walk, mostly thinking about the revelation they had just witnessed earlier. About the mediator being the shadowy figure that Luvia and Rin argued about.

"What... what happened here?" muttered the boy as they came up to the car wreckage.

"...Rider died," stated Luvia, her reply conveying everything.

"...We need to ask Noel-san something about this," muttered Rin after mulling over something else. Turning to the others, she said, "Something Saber said the other night... she called the fake priest Assassin. Now, I didn't know what to make of this, so I put off thinking about it. But now... now that the fake priest revealed himself, I must ask this. Saber, why did you call him Assassin?"

"Because the Assassin of the previous War had similar powers," Saber explained, "I cannot recall if I have ever met his Master, but Noel might."

"That... is quite a disturbing thought," the twin tailed magus mused with concern, crossing her arms in front of her, "The fake priest mentioned he took part in that War with my father. Both summoned Servants. Archer and Assassin."

Saber widened her eyes in response, "That..."

"Do you know something about this?" pressed Rin.

"...It is not my place to say," confessed the Servant, "I only know vaguely what happened. If anything, I would like to question Noel about something as well."

"Looks like we know what we need to do in the morning," confirmed the magus as she looked to the others for confirmation.

"I suppose we do," agreed Luvia. Sakura and Shirou only nodded.

"I shall join you as well," added Bazett, "I would like further information about this."

"Alright, it's settled then,' declared Rin. Turning to her former sister, she asked, "Sakura. Bring us back please."

The enforcer watched as the others huddled together and to her surprise, a dome of shadow engulfed them, taking them away.

"The Matou... perhaps I need to look up that family," she muttered to herself as she made her way to her base of operations.

* * *

Ducking. Dodging. Weaving. Lancer did so with grace and finesse. The clashes of their blades echoing in tandem with her fleet footwork. However, even though she fought a being of pure rage, it was a very experienced spawn of Chaos. Already, her armor had nicks, cuts, and dents in it. The black blade was ever so sharp. She did her best to avoid its sting, even employing her psychic powers in tandem with her attacks, and yet to no avail.

She wanted to force it away, to buy her some breathing space. Before the blast hit it, it stepped into the Warp and the next thing she saw was her hand falling off her wrist, the snarling spawn of Chaos only a few breaths away. She stabbed it with her spear, but it was too close. With another swing, it severed her arm at the elbow. She stilled her mind, numbing out all pain. The smallest thing she could do. Trivial but most necessary at this time. She refused to allow it the satisfaction of hearing her cry out. It seemed to enrage it even more; stepping on her foot and slashing at her legs, it finally buried its hellish sword in her.

A searing sense of rage burned her as it went in her abdomen and out her spine. She could feel the loss of her legs. She felt her body freeze. Slowly, it pulled the sword up, the serrations on the sword keeping her on it. Letting her head be near enough for it to grab with its free hand.

" **You fight well, for a witch** ," it rumbled out to her, " **And yet, a pity you are a witch, though you are among cowards**."

As it began chanting, as she began to smell the burn of warp fire, she let a smile adorn her face. Calm. Serene. Thank Isha it couldn't see it. For small mercies. This War will be won and Chaos will be overcome. The path is set and there is no turning back.

" _Saber. Archer. Assassin. May Kaela Mensha Khaine guide your blades_."

* * *

Warp fire was very thorough. All flesh was burned off, leaving only the skull. With a twist of its wrist, the spine was dislocated away. Stepping away from what remained, a portal opened. It stepped inside with its prize, the way closing behind it. The body was slowly breaking up into motes of blue light when another visitor to this world stepped in. It walked up to the disappearing body and grasped the main crystal that was emblazoned on the Farseer's chest plate. Miraculously, it survived and it gleamed in the moonlight.

"You have fought well, farseer," the voice intoned as the spirit stone floated in his gauntleted hand, "But, I think it's time to return you to Kyras' hands. Your role in our universe is not over yet."

Looking around, he viewed this side of Fuyuki City. "Ten years since my coming here and so much has changed..." he murmured with a certain amusement, "It is a good thing."

Glancing down at the spirit stone as he opened his own portal, he chuckled darkly "Time to bring you back. Not to worry, this will be like a dream to you. After all, how can an Eldar willingly give her life for a human?"

Sindri Myr stepped through, the portal closing without a trace.

* * *

Morning streamed through the house. Sakura rose first, heading straight to the kitchen after her time in the bathroom. She was not that surprised to find Shirou already there. Although, something seemed off about him. He was moving a lot more slowly and carefully than usual.

"Senpai?" she called out, feeling quite concerned.

"Oh, good morning, Sakura," he greeted with his usual smile. Noting the look on her face, he quickly said, "Ah, don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"Senpai..." she muttered, her sense of worry still not abated. " _Still, if he says he's fine_..." she wondered as she took her seat.

"Good morning," greeted Saber, drawing her attention away.

"Ah, good morning, Saber," replied the Matou, "Have you recovered already?"

"I am close to full health," the Servant replied calmly, "Not to worry. I should be ready by tonight." By then, Shirou had finished making breakfast.

Thundering steps sounded through the hallway, just as the boy was laying everything out on the table. "Shirou! Food!" exclaimed Taiga as she promptly seated herself and held out her bowl.

"Good morning," said Rin politely as she stepped in after the hasty teacher... followed by Luvia.

"Eh, good morning, Tohsaka," he replied, pausing a second before continuing, "So... Edelfelt is joining us?"

Quickly noting the teacher being present, the blonde quickly stated, "Oh, no! I just heard that dear Rin was staying here, so I simply had to visit to check up on her."

"You are way too early," Rin deadpanned, catching on quickly to what the former was trying to do, "I think not even you could go on without breakfast."

"Oh, then if you do not mind, Shirou," Luvia said as she took a seat at the table, "You don't, do you?"

"Er, sure. You are more than welcome here," the red head replied haltingly.

Somehow, Taiga and Luvia hit it off as they talked about food. That the teacher's attention away from the others, though Sakura and Rin went back to being uncomfortable when the Finn began exclaiming how wonderful the food was. That increased when Taiga started doing the same thing. All that accumulated with Luvia passing a voucher to an All-You-Can-Eat event at the Fuyuki City Hyatt Hotel in Shinto over to the ecstatic Fujimura.

"Was there really such a thing?" questioned Rin with disbelief as the teacher rushed out of the room.

"Nope," denied the blonde magus with a smirk, "And I can always claim to have been fooled as well if she ever asked."

"Hmm, I guess it would have to be this or more hypnosis," summed up the former as she crossed her arms. Turning to the others, she asked, "Shall we get ready to go to the Mackenzie residence again?"

Getting nods from everyone, she spun on her heels and left to get ready. Luvia excused herself too. Shirou and Luvia did the washing up while Saber waited patiently. It did not take long for everyone to get ready to leave.

"A pity the car was destroyed," muttered the Edelfelt mage as they left the house, "We could have traveled in comfort instead of walking."

"But none of us could drive," pointed out the boy.

"I could, with the knowledge given by the Grail," the Servant revealed, "I could easily drive a car."

"Even without knowing how it works?" asked her Master in disbelief. She nodded.

The rest of the walk was one of silence. It didn't take too long to reach the house since they knew the way. Rin went ahead up the porch and rang the bell. After a bit of a wait, the door opened and a rather exhausted police officer looked out.

"...Eh? What..." she mumbled out a little before her eyes widening as she realized who was at the door, "Eh? Rin?" Then, she looked past her morning guest and muttered, "Everyone is here?"

"As of this moment, yes," said Bazett, suddenly appearing behind them.

"...What's going on... I've been up all night and I really need sleep..." Noel groaned lightly.

Saber stepped up to the porch and said, "Assassin."

"Huh? What assassin? Are you talking about-"

"Servant Assassin and his Master, Kotomine Kirei."

Noel froze. Then, she sighed and stepped back, the door swinging wide open. "Please, come in. I'd like to know what brought this on, but we can't have everyone out here," she stated tiredly.


	26. Truth

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

Everyone was seated and comfortable as best as they could at the dining table. Noel took a deep breath and exhaled, worried and nervous about what she would have to reveal. Honestly, she did expect them to find out something of the sort, but this quickly? Wearily, she took her seat at the table and said, "Alright. What do you want to know?"

"Did you know that the fake..." Rin started to ask when a knock on the door interrupted her.

Curious, the officer got up and answered the door. She should have expected the next visitor after they showed up. "Bazett... come on in too. At least we can address everything at once," she stated tiredly as she let the Enforcer in. The Irish woman took up watch near the window, but no doubt keeping an ear tuned to the coming discussion.

"Now... what did you want to ask, Rin?" asked Noel, once again seated at the head of the table.

"Do you know Kotomine Kirei?" the Tohsaka head asked, sparing no time for banter, "Saber says you might know him. He showed up last night when we were confronting Caster. Saber says the powers he was using was similar to an Assassin that you know. An Assassin from the Fourth War."

She was worried about this. Why in the world did Kirei show his hand, though? What did he gain from this? And then, a stray thought struck her. An even more troubling thought.

"That man... you know he was your father's student, right?" she asked in return, "That he took part in the War to help your father win? The Assassin he summoned. That Servant was a master at shadow manipulation. The fact that all the fights were to take place at night meant that he had an advantage in every fight he took part in."

"So you do know him... do you know how he had those powers too?" Rin pressed on, "How did he get a Servant's powers? That shouldn't be possible."

"That... I don't know. He never displayed anything of the sort before," Noel replied hesitantly, "And..."

"I went to confront him after you told us about the curse," admitted Luvia suddenly, much to her shock, "It was not a pleasant experience."

"W-what? But I told all of you to..." sputtered the former Servant.

"Why didn't you tell us you knew him?" interrupted the Tohsaka head, "We could have planned better if we knew what he was really capable of."

"But I didn't know it was him!" she exclaimed, leaning forward with her hands on the table, "I only knew when I went to the..." The words died in her throat. She almost let slip that she headed straight to the church after their little meeting.

"You went to the church that night, didn't you," accused Luvia immediately, "There is something you aren't telling us, Noel. What is it?"

"That... I can't... I-I can't tell you," the police officer muttered in reply, already having a creeping fear that somehow, she may be forced to tell them. To tell Rin.

"Noel. You have to tell them. What you told me that night... you have to tell her," stated Saber, staring straight at her.

"What? Saber? You-" she sputtered out, unable to believe it. Even Saber seemed to be forcing it out of her.

"Noel, what aren't you telling us? Telling me? What's going on?" asked Rin as she placed her hands on the table.

"No... Rin, please. Don't make me do this..." said Noel. Her hands were clenched and trembling. Not out of rage, but of fear and worry.

"Noel, we may not have much time. Kotomine Kirei and Matou Shinji have just become a threat ever since last night," the former told her, "Please, anything you can tell us will help us greatly."

"But... but..."

"Damn it, Rin," the blond magus muttered. She then stood up and said sternly, "Noel Mackenzie, you will tell us right now what you are hiding or I..."

"No! I cannot! Why should I tell anyone this!?" the officer retorted back, "My greatest trouble! My greatest shame!"

"Then... we have to assume you are with them," Luvia declared with a harsh glare, making her flinch, "That you are conspiring with them to-"

"I am not with that traitor!" she yelled with a sudden harshness and anger that she slammed the table as she jumped to her feet. Her chair tipped over and fell with a loud crash.

"A... traitor...?" repeated Rin in a shocked tone, "What..."

"Kotomine Kirei betrayed your father, Rin," Saber affirmed as Noel slumped down, sitting down on the chair legs, holding her head in her hands.

"He... did... wh-... my father..." mumbled Rin as she slowly sat down as well as she stared at Noel in shock. Sakura moved over and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Noel, tell us what happened. Not even I know the full story," continued Saber.

"...Alright... alright... I had to tell you... and Rin... eventually," confessed the former Servant reluctantly as she righted her chair. And now that she was more or less seated right and a whole lot calmer, she told her story.

* * *

_Your father and Kirei were meeting at the house. We had just met with Illya's mother Irisviel, the Einzbern representative at the time, and fought off Berserker and his master Kariya. We had just finalized a temporary alliance with the Einzbern with one of the conditions being Kirei bowing out of the War. He was pretty much being congratulated for his efforts. Then, your mother suddenly showed up._

"What are your plans now?" asked Kirei. While the boy was quite excited about gaining more power, he still had a human body and still susceptible to low energy. They were back in the house that used to house the family of four. He went out to scout around while the boy recuperated. It was probably not needed but one can never be too careful.

"I feel... undecided," mused the Matou boy as he sat on the couch, staring at the television. It was busy detailing the latest bit of destruction that befell the city. The former Assassin scoffed at the news but somehow felt that he should have kept appearances of being the mediator and fixed that stretch of road. The thought that the closure of the road might close the temple for a while also sprang to mind.

_Your father did not expect her to show up. While they spoke, Kirei called out to Assassin... and Assassin suddenly restrained them both. I tried to stop him but was attacked by him instead. Words were exchanged and Kirei revealed that he had spoken to Caster. He even admitted to killing his own father, the mediator of that War, and had Assassin take over his mind and body. Caster seemed to have such an effect on him for him to do this. I recovered and tried attacking them again but was struck down again._

"Is that so, Matou Shinji? What are the options open to you?" asked the fake priest. He was quite curious as well as concerned. Was the boy thinking of running away with the heart of the Grail?

"I have so much power right now. It feels intoxicating!" the boy stated as he turned and grinned madly at him, "One option would be this. I feel like visiting every branch of the Mage's Association and showing them how the Matou family magecraft has evolved beyond that what they can do. Undoubtedly irresistible."

"A dangerous option. Is there a second option?" he asked. Option one was quite foolish. Causing that much chaos on the pretense of showing off will draw way too much attention both within his circle and beyond. While his body had changed, his mind had not, it seems.

"To see this War through," the boy replied with a manic smile, "Collecting all the Servants and bringing the Grail forth... would be the second and only other option. The amount of power I can get... I would be unstoppable."

"The second is more prudent an option," advised Kirei.

_Then... then, Kirei told me that if I join him, he would be willing to release your parents. At first, I refused. But then, he reminded me of my promise to you... and so I agreed to it. He was somehow able to transfer the Command Seals without your father's consent, breaking my contract with him. After he made a contract with me, he had Assassin release them. And then... and then... Assassin killed them!_

Shinji was deep in thought for that moment, fully ignoring the news. Then, he looked at the priest and said, "The Grail it is then. I shall see to its completion. No doubt, this will change everything."

"Of course. After all, the War must be completed and the Grail brought forth into this world," the priest stated, fully agreeing with the decision.

* * *

"Then, that man used a Seal to stop me from avenging them," ended Noel as she clenched her fists on the table. Her whole body trembled as she relived those memories again.

"My apologies, Noel, for having you recount that experience," said Saber regretfully, her eyes closed and head tilted slightly downward.

"Be that as it may, it was a necessary thing to do," stated Luvia, wholely unapologetic.

"Agreed," spoke up Bazett, "However, as informative as this story may be, it doesn't explain how Kirei gained those powers for himself. Unless somehow Assassin is hiding somewhere in secret, playing his part in the shadows."

"That may not be true," replied Saber, addressing the others, "She did mention something of interest. 'and had Assassin take over his mind and body.' Perhaps..."

"...Assassin killed his own Master and took over his place," completed the former Servant, "Yes, that thought did occur to me as well. Well, it's either that or that Kirei is sustaining Assassin with the spare Seals he took from his father."

"Is that so?" mused the blonde magus, "This still doesn't help things. The only one who could confirm your suspicions is currently out to kill us if you don't remember."

"...This doesn't make sense. Why would the fake priest want to kill my father?" Rin was heard muttering as she shook her head, "It doesn't make any sense."

"And I'm surprised you are still aware," the former teased, "I would have thought the revelation had shut your mind down."

"You be quiet," the latter retorted with a glare. That didn't last that long and she said, "I am angry. I want to go out immediately to hunt him down and demand answers... and maybe seek... 'compensation' from him. But, after what Noel told us, I realized just how little I know about the fake priest... and it is dangerous to try and face him unprepared. We have to know more."

"Cold... but correct," agreed the Edelfelt with a proud smile, "As expected of my rival."

"I am not your rival," retaliated the twin tailed magus.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that," the blonde magus hummed.

A loud sigh drew everyone to look at Noel.

"...I don't mean to sound rude, but I really need my sleep," the very tired officer pleaded, her exhaustion finally overpowering her current state, "My next shift starts at six, so if you don't mind...?"

Those seated glanced at each other, wondering who would answer for them. Rin then spoke up, "I suppose we have enough for now. While we can't confirm anything right now, we can at least plan around the fake priest's and the previous Assassin's capabilities."

With a sigh of relief, Noel got up, the others following suit. She let them out as graciously as she could. Save Bazett.

"Does Lord El-Melloi know your story?" the enforcer asked as she stood in the doorway.

"He does... Why do you ask?" the former Servant replied.

"I have worked with Kirei before and he has never shown any other abilities other than things expected of an Executor," the Irishwoman explained, "We have to ask why he was hiding this? Why show all this now? What makes this War special enough to need those abilities?"

"I... I'm sorry. I have no answer," the former apologized.

"I suppose we will have to find out. I hope they can react to it in time," the latter stated before leaving the house too.

* * *

"Did you notice how sluggish he was?" asked Assassin after Shirou left the dojo to prepare dinner.

"Indeed. He moved stiffly and this weakened his defense," Saber agreed as she stepped up beside him, "He came close to dropping his sword a few times. Very different from previous sessions."

"Was he affected by yesterday's battle?" he questioned as he returned the bamboo swords to the rack.

"He did not seem to be. He did not mention anything the previous evening," she clarified.

"Hmm... perhaps I should shadow him for a time. Perhaps to find out why he is like this?" he suggested as he looked at her for permission.

"...Very well. It will not do for him to regress in the wake of a battle, after all," she acceded.

The Servant nodded as he shifted to his spirit form and caught up with the boy. Shirou seemed to be favoring his right side more as there was a stiffness to his left side. The boy had also become more prone to clumsiness, breaking a bowl during preparation and a few dishes during cleaning. He then waited for the boy in the hallway leading up to his room while the young man was in the toilet. Then, he went to the storehouse. Surprisingly, whatever ailed the boy did not impede his practice with his magecraft. Then, he heard a knock and the door slid open.

"Huh? Sakura?" muttered Shirou as he glanced up at the doorway. Assassin decided to stay silent for now and wondered why his Master was here.

"Are you alright, Senpai?" she asked with concern.

"Eh? Yes, I am. Ahha, why do you ask?" he hurriedly replied with a nervous laugh.

"The dishes. As long as I've known, you have never been as clumsy as that," she told him as she stepped nearer to his side, "Is there anything wrong?"

"...I guess I can't get anything past you, Sakura," he said with an apologetic smile as he looked down at the metal pipe on the piece of cloth, "Yeah. My left side has been feeling numb since this morning. I never felt like this before." Looking back to her, he continued, "But don't worry. It isn't slowing me down or anything... Actually, I would have expected Saber or Assassin to ask me about it."

"Eh? Why did this happen? Was it because of last night?" she asked with worry as she knelt down next to him.

"Yeah... I think so," he mused as he lifted his left hand up for scrutiny, "Archer's swords... projecting them must have caused it. But, a reaction like this..."

Then, Assassin felt a familiar presence coming to the storehouse and leaning against the doorway.

"Is most of your body still numb?" Archer asked, causing both Masters to look at him in surprise.

"Why are you asking?" asked the boy in return.

"Hmph, that's hardly surprising," the Servant continued as if brushing off Shirou's question like it was nothing.

"What do you want, Archer?" the boy asked again, a bit more sternly than before, "Knowing you, you didn't stop by to say hello."

The Servant shifted his position and walked up to them, stopping a few meters away. "You have no sensation in half your body and your center of gravity is 7 cm off, right?" he questioned, getting a gasp from the young man, "I might be of some assistance."

The two glanced at each other and then back to Archer. "What do I have to do?" the boy asked.

"Take off your shirt and turn your back to me," he instructed. The boy did so, Sakura blushing a little when the shirt was removed. Archer knelt behind him and examined the left side of his back. Shirou grimaced and muffled a groan in response to it. The girl brought both hands up to her mouth, wrought with worry.

"...You're fortunate. I expected some necrosis, but something that was closed has been opened," the Servant told them as he examined further.

"Something that was closed has been opened?" repeated the boy.

"Circuits that you were meant to use from the beginning had grown dormant from neglect," the former explained, "The numbness is only temporary. By suddenly flooding circuits you never used with mana at full power, you sent them into a state of shock. This means that the circuits have returned to their active state."

Archer suddenly pressed the middle of the boy's back and Assassin sensed a sudden surge of power being sent through.

"Senpai," shouted Sakura when Shirou suddenly yelped.

"That should do it," announced the Servant of the Bow as he withdrew his hand, "You'll recover in a few days. When you can move properly again, you should be a better magus than before." He then moved to leave, taking his first few steps away. Sakura inched closer to the boy as he rubbed his left hand.

"Wait," said Shirou loudly, halting the Servant in his tracks.

"What?" he asked without turning around.

"I want to ask you something," the red head said as he got up to face him, "Why are you helping me now? I remember you saying that I'll be going to be sent to an early grave. Why did you say that?"

"You desire to save everyone. You want to save and will do so even at the cost of your life. Those are your ideals," Archer explained, his back still turned, "Your ideals will drag you to your death. I refuse to take part in that."

"Then what about yours? Why do you fight? What's your reason?" he half yelled.

"That's obvious. My reason for fighting is for myself," was the calm reply.

"Just for yourself?" he muttered, his tone turning uncertain.

"That's right," affirmed Archer, "If your desire is to fulfill the ideal of saving anyone, then do as you wish. But only if that desire is truly yours."

Then, he glanced back at them, "If you fight of your own free will, then any resulting crime or punishment is your own making. Accepting them is part of that ideal."

Finally, he fully turned around to address the boy, "But if that desire was borrowed from another, the ideals you uphold are mere fantasies. There must be a reason for fighting, but that reason must never be an ideal. If you fight for an ideal, you can only save ideals. That doesn't entail helping others. A reason to fight it is to desire to save something. At the very least, it is for you. Right, Emiya Shirou?"

He turned to look away, "But salvation by the hands of another is not salvation. Such salvation is like money. When used, it's passed to another's hands. It's true that you can probably achieve your wish to save others, but there's no hope of saving yourself in doing so. You will repeat the cycle until you die, still clinging to ideals that are not your own. That is why your ideals are meaningless."

He turned around again and walked off, shifting to his astral form, "Nothing comes of helping others. In the end, you can neither save yourself nor others. A lie of a life."

"...You're wrong... That isn't true," muttered Shirou, his head bowed down. He clenched his hands tight. To his surprise, another pair of hands grasped his right hand. The boy looked up and saw it was Sakura.

"I believe in you, Senpai," she said softly, her cheeks dusted red, "And... you already promised not to go too far when trying to save Nii-san, so..."

He stared at her, shocked that she would say that, even after hearing Archer's words. Then, he smiled gratefully and said, "Thank you, Sakura."

Assassin smiled a little as he vacated the building and went back to the main house. Time to tell Saber what he had learned. But on the way, a thought struck him. The boy's first question remained unanswered. He had to hand it to Archer for being eloquent enough to distract the boy. Still, why did he help the boy now?

* * *

Moonlight bathed the courtyard outside. Even the most boisterous ones had turned in for the night. All save the remaining Servants. Archer and Assassin maintained their guard as per usual. Sharp eyes and ears covered the exterior while observant senses kept vigil within. However, a black blot appeared in the corner of the main room.

" _So... this is where you are staying_ ," Kirei thought as he rose out of the darkness, " _Fortunate for me to have a sense for her_." Looking around, he continued, " _Though, it seems I may have been a bit off. Perhaps, nearby_."

Suddenly, he heard a soft click and quickly put up a barrier behind him. Then, he lashed out with a tendril and heard the clink of metal.

"You are not welcome here," said Assassin as he readied his sword for another go.

"I would assume so," the priest agreed as he slid over to the other side of the room, "Luckily, it seems I didn't need to go far."

He couldn't read the Servant in front of him; unfortunate that the mask hid most of his expressions. Then again, this mortal body is almost the same. Without a word or warning, he dashed forward and sent out sharp tendrils aiming to impale. Assassin disappeared in a wisp of smoke. He immediately swung round, his Black Keys flashing out from between his fingers. The Servant dodged back and he threw the Keys at him. The blades were expertly deflected but that was what he needed. A little Eddie burst out and hooked the Servant's leg while Kirei slid over and kicked him out of the room with his hammer leg. The Servant crashed through the glass partition and landed in the courtyard. Slowly, he slid over to the broken glass as the small one disappeared.

He made his decision. This Servant will die next. However, there was an unexpected complication.

"Master?"


	27. Revelation

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

Revelation

Eddie looked to his side. His student, of all people, was the first to accost him. He would have expected another Servant. He continued on his way and stepped outside into the yard, paying no attention to her. Hurried steps echoed on the wood paneling behind him and he heard her ask, "Master, what are you doing here?"

By that time, Assassin was picking himself up off the ground. The fake priest glided over, intending to kill the Servant immediately.

"Assassin! Retreat!"

He frowned ever so slightly as the Servant complied and burst into black dust. He turned around slowly, watching as Assassin stood there in front of the opening in the glass with his sword ready. Then, more watchers appeared.

"Sakura, what is ha..." Rin trailed off as she caught sight of him.

"...the damned priest," Luvia growled.

"Assassin!" roared Saber as she stepped out next to her fellow Servant, "You dare intrude."

"We meet again, Saber," Eddie stated calmly and condescendingly, "Perhaps you should think of something else to call me. We wouldn't want you to get confused with the class itself."

"How dare..."

"Master... why are you doing this?" Sakura asked suddenly. A silence fell over their side.

"Surprising, for you to reveal it like this," he mused aloud, wondering what she was trying to do.

"...Don't tell me... this man... taught you? How to use... Imaginary Numbers?" stammered Rin in shock.

Luvia said nothing but glared with a frown at him.

"What did you do to her, you fiend?" Saber demanded fiercely.

"Nothing that wasn't there already, Saber," the fake priest replied as he pretended to relax his guard. Holding up his empty hands, he continued, "Tokiomi once said his wife's womb was too bountiful."

Both local girls froze.

"To have both children born with rare potential and talent. Both requiring the protection of a magus family. And so, he chose one for the Matou to adopt. It was an equal chance for either sister to be sent," he simply said with a shrug, "I read through his records after his passing. One having the talent for learning the five elements. The other having talent in Imaginary Numbers. I simply theorized that the second could use the shadows as well. A fruitful experiment, I must say."

"... I was just an... experiment...?" the younger girl muttered in shock.

"... Wait... what did he just say... both children...?" Luvia spluttered in surprise, taking a step back as she looked at the two other girls, "Both of you are sisters!?"

"What?" exclaimed Shirou, who had come up behind them, apparently catching the tail end of the conversation.

"Enough," Saber announced sternly, bringing everyone's attention to her, "We can discuss this later. For now, we have an intruder to address." Directing the attention to him, she said, "Kotomine, you dare attack, even knowing the presence of three Servants?"

"The War must continue," he replied as he moved his hands behind him, "You do remember the War, do you not?"

"The Grail is cursed," Assassin told him, "You should reconsider, mediator."

So... they know. Interesting. " _But they still believe me to be the priest_ ," he mused internally, " _Now... what would he say about this_?" The darkness receded, revealing his host body, clothed in his priest vestments. "The Grail has a will of its own. It deserves to act on it. So, it should be allowed to make its choice. Will it be for good? Or will it be for evil? That is the answer I wish to find," he proclaimed, presenting to them an eager face.

"You... you're mad!" retorted Rin angrily.

"Mad?" he repeated with a smirk, "Some would call it madness. After chatting with Caster? I call it clarity."

With a mental command, he sent out tendrils of shadow to ensnare everyone. Black tentacles binding their arms to their backs while ensnaring their legs amidst their cries of surprise and protest. While the Masters were entangled, the Servants were another matter. Saber started pulling and slashing away at them immediately. Assassin vanished and Eddie predicted an attack from behind. Just as the tip of the sword touched his back, a mass of snakes burst out, the snapping jaws pushing the Servant of Murder away. At the same time, the shadows embraced him, wrapping him up in them and making him resemble a copy of the Fourth War's Assassin. He turned around to face his Fifth War counterpart.

Suddenly, he found an arrow sticking out of his chest. His right hand moved to pull it out as his left put up some protection. At the same time, Archer appeared in the courtyard and his sword was blocked just in that instance. Similarly, Saber had extracted herself from the entanglement and was now charging him down. Hastily pulling out the arrow, he watched as it faded out of existence.

" _A construct. I should have known_ ," the fake priest thought as he flowed back to evade the invisible sword. He purposely collided into Assassin, who was moving in to strike as well, elbowing him in the chest. Turning around, he struck the Servant's stomach with a palm strike. Sensing another behind, he turned the other way to block. The white sword was faster and his right hand was chopped off as a result. Much to everyone else's shock, there was no blood.

A shadow creature appeared and quickly collected the extremity. In turn, a replacement formed and he was whole once more. Taking advantage of his opponents' shock, he dashed straight towards Saber. She was able to recover in time and attempted a thrusting stab, but he dodged it and punched her face. The force was able to tip her backward. He then was able to hook her leg and topple her on her back, followed by slamming his foot into her gut. The armor remained unblemished but he knew he had put enough power into it to affect her body. Her wide eyes and her gasping for breath affirmed his intent.

He then turned his attention to Archer, who returned to a relaxed stance full of openings. "You employ the same tactic against me?" he asked as he took on Zato's ready stance.

Archer remained silent for a moment, his eyes closed as if deep in thought. Then, he replied with, "Help me kill the boy, Emiya Shirou, and I will help you bring forth the Grail."

"What!? Archer, what is- mmph," Rin began to yell but was quickly silenced by an extended tendril wrapping around the bottom half of her face. The other Masters were given the same treatment, much to their shock.

"Archer, why..." groaned out Saber.

"Why do you remain hostile to the boy? There is no need for this," added Assassin as he eyed the fake priest and his fellow Servant warily.

"...An interesting proposal," he stated after some thought, wondering if there is some ploy Archer was doing. He took his foot off the other downed Servant and gave out an order, "Delay Assassin and I shall settle the boy."

"Archer," growled out the Servant of Murder as one in red began locking blades with him, "What is the meaning of this?"

The fake priest paid no heed to them, as he slowly walked towards the Masters, who began their struggling in earnest.

"You will not harm him!" roared Saber, having recovered from the shock of the previous attack. He ignored her but called up a multitude of shadow creatures between him and her as a delaying tactic... with lethal intent.

He reached the struggling boy at a leisurely pace and raised his hand, morphing it into a blade. "Farewell, Emiya Shirou. A pity that you are not the hero of this tale." He swung... but his hand was frozen mid-swing. Curious, he turned to look at the possible suspect.

True enough. The girl had summoned enough strength to break her hands out of her binds and stop his progress. Still, her hands, her outstretched arms, were shaking quite a bit. As if she could barely hold his hand back.

"Interesting..."

Quickly, he turned his body around the other way and dashed aside to avoid the slash of a sword, as he sensed the mob he summoned get cut down entirely. Thankfully, Sakura had released her hold on the hand and he was able to fight back. He also noticed that he was being hemmed in from all sides with Archer cutting him off and Assassin appearing in front of the boy.

"I see," he muttered, now understanding the misleading tactic of the Servant of the Bow.

"Now!" shouted Archer.

All three of them converged on him, weapons raised. He bent over a little as if to accept their attacks, but immediately arched back as draconic snakes burst out of his body, jaws snapping and hissing as they intercepted the weapons and threw back the attackers. Slipping through the space he created, Eddie went up to the closest Servant. Smacking the face with a hammer fist, he then plunged his hand into Archer's chest. Unfortunately, before he could destroy the core, he had to withdraw his hand and glide away to evade the invisible blade. Nonetheless, he was quite sure that the damage was irreparable.

" _Hmm, it is done. I doubt he will have long to live, even as an Archer_ ," he mused to himself as he sank into his own shadow, " _Soon, the War will be over, and I will learn of my next purpose in this world_."

* * *

As Kirei disappeared into his shadow, the bindings went too.

"Archer!" yelled Rin as she rushed over to her Servant's side.

Archer was clutching his profusely bleeding chest after having fallen to his knees. His other arm propped him up, his knuckles pressing into the ground. "This... I guess... this is it..." he said as he sent a wry smile to his Master, "Even if I... conserve mana, my core is too damaged... Even being an Archer... I can probably... only last the night."

"Archer..." Shirou muttered as the other three caught up with them. At the sight of him, the bleeding Servant went back to frowning.

"You... I guess I can't, ugh, stop you after all," he stated sternly, grunting in pain.

"Why are you still being hostile to him?" asked Assassin.

"Still asking why?" he replied, his breathing finally under control and the flow of blood slowly turning sluggish, "I can't accept him. He can't accept me. That's all."

"There has to be more to it," supported Saber, "Such hostility could only come from knowing him very well and you were only summoned for this War."

"Hmph, you assume correctly, but..."

"Archer, what are you hiding from us?" asked the Tohsaka sternly.

He looked around at the faces of the people and Servants surrounding him. He sighed and confessed, "This is not my timeline. The Fifth Holy Grail War I knew had Heroic Spirits that had ascended to the Throne of Heroes as Servants. The Servants here are different. Servants whose histories that I do not recognize. Edelfelt being present. The enforcer still alive. This is not the War I knew."

"And now you are talking in riddles. Get to the point," demanded the aforementioned blonde.

He spared a stony glance at her and continued as he got to his feet, "And yet, some things remained the same. The boy's hollow ideals, for one."

"It isn't wrong to help people!" Shirou retorted quickly.

"...It's that kind of thinking that started all this," he growled out, "That made me regret having those ideals in the first place."

"...Made you regret?" repeated Rin in surprise, "Wait... but how..."

"You were always the smarter one," Archer stated dryly, "Indeed. What you figured out is right. I am Emiya Shirou. Though, I suppose you can say, an alternate version."

"That still does not answer why, Archer," Saber pressed on, "Are you not the pinnacle of Shirou's ideals? Why would you reject him?'

"Unlike you, I didn't become a Heroic Spirit entirely on my own merits," he explained, "I became one after becoming a Counter Guardian."

"A Guardian?" the Servant of the Sword repeated in surprise, "I heard that after their deaths, Guardians become a Counter Force to protect humanity. Even if your circumstances differ, you are a Heroic Spirit regardless."

"That's where you're mistaken, Saber," he corrected, "Guardians don't protect humanity. They're simply cleaners."

"Archer..." muttered Rin.

"Yes, I did become a hero," he then agreed, "Just as the man called Emiya Shirou always wished, I became a true hero of justice."

"Senpai..." whispered Sakura.

"And that is exactly how I know that it was a mistake," summed up the Servant in red, "That his life had absolutely no value."

"No value?"

"None," he replied to Saber, "You of all people should know that. You, who wants to change the past, to take back her decisions, more than anything."

"Saber?" said Shirou in a questioning tone.

"You would have me tell them my wish?" she muttered. Turning to the others, she explained, "Shirou... everyone... I wanted to use the Grail to reverse a decision I made. A mistake that I made. I will alter the fated destruction of Britain. That is why I wanted to win the Grail. Because I did not live up to my ideals. I should not have become king."

"Does Noel know of this?" asked Assassin.

"She does. She has tried to dissuade me from my wish... but I still believe I am undeserving of being king," she reasoned. But, she turned back to Archer and said, "You still have yet to answer the question. Why do you reject him?"

"Because... because those ideals gave me nothing but regrets," he said as he looked to the ground, "After becoming a Guardian, I fought those who would disrupt the world's balance. Obeying my orders, I killed. And killed. And just kept killing. I killed so many, I ceased to care. For every life I took, I saved thousands. I fought again and again, whenever I was called upon. Again. And again. And again... But there was no end to it. It never ended. It wasn't as if I dreamed of a world free of fighting. I just didn't want anyone to cry in the world I knew. That's when it finally hit... the ideal that Shirou Emiya embraced was shallow."

Then, he looked up at them and continued, "It's impossible to save everyone. Saving the many means leaving the few to perish. Saving as many people as possible is what a hero of justice does, is it not? And so, still wishing for no one to die, I would have one person die for the sake of many. Even as I said that I couldn't let anyone be sad, ultimately I drove more than a few to despair. This is the true identity of the Heroic Spirit Emiya. Don't you think that if such a person died, the world would be a better place?"

For a moment, there was silence. No one could muster up a rebuttal to his little speech. Then...

"Archer, you said that this was not your timeline," said Sakura bravely, "Then... then the Emiya Shirou here is different than the man you talked about. He is not you."

"And how would you know that? Would you know what would happen to him in five years? Ten years?" countered the former, "In the end, he will become me. All because of those ideals. You can't expect anyone to understand someone who is willing to lay down his life for others. They will betray him and drag him to his death."

"He won't," protested Sakura, "I... I know it. He promised..."

"Do you honestly think he can hold on to-"

"I can try."

At those three words, everyone turned to the boy who spoke up.

"I have always wanted to help people," he began to explain, "I promised my dad that I would become a hero in his place. A hero who could save everyone. I still do. But... ever since being involved in the War, I began to realize that... there are people who care for me. Really care. That they will support me in pursuing my ideals as long as I don't take it too far." As he said that, he looked to everyone around him. Saber stood there stoically, nodding slightly. Assassin did the same. Rin smirked as she crossed her arms in front. Luvia smiled and tossed her hair a bit while having her other hand against her waist. Sakura blushed and averted her eyes, also smiling.

"And right here, you are showing me what happens when I do," he continued as he locked eyes with Archer's eyes, which was full of contempt, "If you are asking me to give up my ideals or even end my own life, I refuse. I will not give them up, even if they are impossible. And... I will certainly have no regrets. Unlike you. I refuse to end up like you."

"And that is why you will end up like me," the Servant in red countered. " **Trace on** ," he chanted, summoning the twin swords to his hands, causing the rest to be on their guard. Blue motes of light started peeling off him as he continued, "It is that kind of thinking that started all this. This is why I need to end this now."

"Masters, please step back," Assassin ordered as he readied his blade.

"Archer, you should reconsider," Saber told him while on guard herself, "You are already low on mana and your core is damaged. If you persist, you will vanish."

"Even if I am at my limits, I will not back down," he replied as he stood in open stance, "It will not take long for me to kill him."

"Saber, Assassin. Let me fight him," Shirou suddenly spoke up as he stepped past them, "This is a fight I need to have. Thank you for your support, everyone."

" **Trace on** ," he chanted as he mirrored the swords Archer held. The others slowly moved back, the Servants standing in front protectively over the remaining three Masters.

"Can you truly keep up?" asked the Servant of the Bow, "If your precision is even slightly off, you will die."

"Senpai," called out Sakura, "Can you really win this?"

"Yes... I can," the boy replied wilfully as he glanced back at her, "I must." With that, both Emiya's charged at each other, clashing blades.

* * *

Ryuudou Temple was quite empty. After the discovery of the wrecked road as well as a burnt-out body that was later identified as Kuzuki Souichirou, the police closed the road and asked the residents of the temple to move to a safer location. This saved Eddie some much needed time and effort to make the Ryuudou family and the monks there leave it. While the former Servant was out attempting to kill off another Servant, the newly remade Shinji decided to wander around the place. He had never been there before and went about satisfying his curiosity for the whole day.

It was in the evening he discovered the forest trail that exited the back of the temple and encircled a large lake.

"Hmm, this should be an interesting place," he muttered as his mind entertained the possibility, "As large as the temple is, it is still too small for it... Not after what was shown to me."

The book has seen it. He has seen it. A manifestation of the grandest order. It needs a large enough area for it. Indeed, the temple was way too small. Even now, the heart strained against his shell, to break out, to exist in the real world. but he was too strong. No. Now was not the time. The suitable area was indeed here. However, the time was not. The next night. That would suffice. Then, he could take out the heart and whatever that was left of his weak flesh would sustain it long enough for it to feed itself.

"Patience, oh my beating heart," he sang out with a certain gleefulness, "Your time will come. Soon. Very soon."

"What are you doing, Matou Shinji?"

He turned around to face the fake priest. "Nothing much. Just finding the appropriate place for the big reveal of the Grail," he declared as he gestured to the lake, "Isn't it a wondrous thing? A pity it must be destroyed to make way for greatness."

"And the heart?" queried Eddie.

"Bursting with power," he replied with a grin, "It cannot wait to unleash itself onto the world. No, not yet. But, we can do it tomorrow. Tomorrow night would be best."

"...I suppose you are correct in that assumption," agreed the former Servant after a thought, "Drawing too much attention will undo this far too easily, after the lengths we went through to eliminate the Servants."

"That reminds me, did you kill one tonight?" he asked.

"Somewhat. He will not survive the night."

"I see. Well now, time to rest and recuperate," announced the Matou gleefully, "Tomorrow, we need to draw plans to account for every possibility. The Grail will be made manifest. I must witness it, after all."

* * *

The sounds of metal crashing against metal echoed through the air. The three girls watched on worriedly as Shirou and Archer clashed again and again. In front of them, Saber and Assassin looked on after having agreed not to interfere. The boy seemed to be barely holding; every blade he made broke after a few trades with Archer's swords, but the degradation of the Servant's body has increased as well. Miniscule bits of him floated away from him at a steady pace.

"Do you really think you're on my level?" the Servant in red asked as their weapons clashed for the umpteenth time, "Your projections may look the same, but if you can't sympathize with it, then they're just empty shells."

"Damn it!" Shirou shouted as he fought back with renewed vigor.

"Assassin, did you notice it?" asked Saber after the two opposing forces went back to trading blows, "The differences were small, but his swordplay is slowly improving."

"I see it," affirmed the masked Servant as the boy successfully fended off an attack for the first time, "Maybe Archer's weakened state is giving him the chance to adapt."

"Now I get it. So that is how you are keeping up," said Servant declared after stepping back, "I've heard of magecraft that enables you to master old skills by communing with past selves and letting them possess you. Every time our blades clash, your skills are being honed."

"No kidding... then I guess we're both copycats," replied Shirou, "Keep talking. I'll catch up to you soon enough."

"Catch up to me? That is where you're wrong," stated the former as he lunged forward, their blades crashing into each other, "You never had the slightest chance of winning!"

"Is he right?" asked Rin worriedly, glancing furtively over at Sakura who was keeping a terrified watch over the redhead, "Will Archer still win even if his experience is slowly being passed on to Emiya-kun?

"It is hard to say," replied Saber, "The question that should be answered is who will give out first: Shirou's inexperience or Archer's mana?"

A pair of blades broke and Shirou was sent tumbling on the ground, staring at Archer.

"Judging by your face, that pathetic expression that says you're about to vomit, you saw it, didn't you?" the one in red asked, "That simplifies things then. Everything you saw is true, Emiya Shirou. I was sent to the gallows, accused of starting a war, betrayed by those who were saved. That is what 'catching up to me' will get you."

Sakura gasped in horror. Luvia and Rin grit their teeth and took a step back in their shock. Assassin said nothing, but closed his eyes and tilted his head down as he sighed. Saber kept up her stoic watch.

"Maybe, you should see it again with your own eyes," Archer said his degradation suddenly intensified, "The world where I ended up-urk!"

He fell on one knee, clutching his chest, the wound dealt to him by the 'supposed' Kotomine Kirei. "Damn it!" he raged through his teeth, "If only I had... more time." He glared at the boy in front of him, still on the ground with his eyes locked on him. "You... urgh... one day... one day, I will... stop you... then, not even... argh... Avalon can save you..." he declared as he finally faded out of existence.

Everyone didn't move a muscle for a few seconds. Then, Sakura asked, "Senpai... are you alright?"

"I... don't know," admitted Shirou as he slowly got to his feet, "I'm glad I was able to survive this but... I cannot help feeling sorry for him too. He had so much regret..."

"...Please..." she pleaded, "I hope you won't become him."

"I won't," he stated as he turned to face everyone, "I will not end up like him. I promise."


	28. Final Night

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

Final Night

Early morning light beat against the drawn curtains. Shirou moved sluggishly out of his room. He trudged on to the bathroom to prepare himself for the day. Having done so, he headed straight for the kitchen to make breakfast. He smiled when the wafting smells of a busy kitchen greeted him when he entered the living room.

"Good morning, Sakura," he greeted his junior.

"Good morning, Senpai," she replied respectfully with a smile.

He took a seat at the counter, silently observing her cooking. However, other things were on his mind as it went back to the previous night. The shocking turn that happened when Archer suddenly turned on them. His fists became clenched as he remembered their exchange, both with words and with their blades. In the end, he could only pity the Servant. Archer was full of regret, regretful of his decision to pursue his ideals. Their ideals. Their father's ideals. And... he forgot how beautiful that ideal meant to them. Shirou sighed. He wished that he could have gotten through. To actually convince the Servant to see it his way. To show that the ideals were not wrong.

"Are you alright, Senpai?"

The question shook him out of his thoughts. "No, I'm fine. I'm just thinking about last night," he confessed to her. She kept quiet, moving away from the counter to set the table.

"I believe in you, Senpai," she finally said a few minutes later as she started moving the dishes, "You promised you won't end up like him. You aren't someone who would break their promise."

He stared at her for a moment before gaining a relieved smile, "Thank you."

She replied with her own smile with a tinge of pink dusting her cheeks. "Umm, I'll get Rin-senpai for breakfast," she said as she excused herself out of the room.

He stared at the doorway for a moment longer before getting off the chair and moved to seat himself at the table.

"Good morning, Shirou."

He blinked in surprise as Saber sat down. "Oh, good morning, Saber," he greeted in return.

They sat there in silence for a while. His mind spun, wondering if he should ask her about her wish right now. Sure, she did explain it briefly last night, but he wanted to know more. But, time was not on his side as Sakura arrived, ushering in her sister. Former, sister. It felt odd to him. How was it that they kept in touch all these years? How did they find out about each other in the first place?

These thoughts kept his mind preoccupied while Luvia came in and took her seat, followed by a very loud Taiga. Breakfast commenced like normal. As normal as it can get. Just as expected, Taiga asked the blonde magus about the ticket towards the end of the meal, to which she did as she planned. Plausible deniability. Of course, the teacher bought the excuse. It was quite convincing. After that, the Tiger of Fuyuki made a surprising announcement.

"Alright! I'll be visiting my grandfather today," she told them, "I haven't seen him in a while, with everything going on this week. So, don't wait up for me, alright? No worries, I'll let myself out." With that, she hurried out of the room. Soon after, they heard the door shut. A collective sigh ensued among the three girls.

"Before we start anything else," began Luvia as she addressed the others, "I want some answers."

"By 'answers', you mean us?" asked Rin as she glanced over to Sakura.

"Yes," the blonde confirmed, "If anything, I want to know why she is a Matou and you, a Tohsaka. I mean... was this some sort of plan your father made or something else entirely?"

"No... I was given away," the former sister replied softly, "Without a word, I was sent there to be adopted by the Matou. He never even told me why. It was only after Rin and I were older that she told me her suspicions."

"That you were given away to prevent any argument over the family crest?" asked Luvia, which sounded like a rhetorical question, "I would imagine so. Feuds have been fought over less."

"Our... well, my father never explained fully why he sent her to the Matou," added Rin, "I never got the full explanation since he died ten years ago."

"So we may never know, huh?" the former summed up thoughtfully. She sighed and said, "No further questions from me. Does anyone else have anything to say?"

"Saber, why did you say you were undeserving of being king?" he asked, finally breaking his silence, "I... I saw things in my dreams. You led your people to victory. Surely..."

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath as he spoke. Releasing it, she replied, "True, I led them to victory... but my actions caused so much strife and resentment that it split my court. Things were steadily going downhill up til Camlann. With that... I could see how much destruction I have wrought. What are victories against my enemy when I could not reign in my own court."

"And Noel tried to dissuade you," interjected Rin, "What did she say?"

"She said that without me, my other Knights would not be able to exist," Saber continued, her looks becoming downcast for a moment before becoming resolute, "Lancelot, Gawain, Bedivere... they may not have had the fame my legend contributed to them, but I think they would have made their own path regardless of me being king. Therefore, I still believe my decision to be correct." After pausing for a breath, "I suppose this is why I can understand Archer's actions. He was steeped in regret while desperate to rectify his own mistake."

Silence followed. The Servant of the Sword got to her feet and declared, "If there are no questions, I shall wait in the training room. Prepare yourself, Shirou."

He watched as she left the room. He was taken aback by her admittance. Yet, he supposed he could understand. Both Servants wanted to undo what they saw as their greatest mistake. Even so, he felt that what they were doing was wrong. Their actions had already been cemented in their history, so...

He shook his head. He was taking too much time thinking about this. He had sword practice to go to and he'd rather not get his Servant annoyed with him. He had to get better and stronger, after all.

* * *

Noel groaned as she moved sluggishly towards the door. The insistent ringing of the bell pulled her away from dreamland, away from the sleep she craved so much. Much to her surprise, Bazett was the one disturbing her.

"Umm, why are you here?" she asked tiredly.

"Just a question about... certain topics that should remain secret," stated the Irishwoman.

The officer sighed and let her in. Closing the door, she queried, "So... what do you want to ask?"

"You are formerly a Servant. Is it possible for you to be a Servant again?" was her question.

"Ah, I doubt I can become a Servant again," admitted Noel with a wince, "I think... Waver tried it one time? Nothing happened when I recited the correct reply."

"...Then, I suppose I am stranded here," confessed Bazett.

"What do you mean?" the former asked in muted surprise.

"I am a Master without a Servant. What should I be doing now?" the latter asked, staring at her, "If the War was not on hold, I would have been a target and forced to seek refuge at the church. Instead, I am stuck without anything to do and with the number of times I've fought, nothing came out of it. I do not dare return just in case I attract any attention to what is going on here. I am the Association's representative so questions will be asked. To top it off, the mediator is the one killing all the Servants."

"You have a sense of helplessness," she summed up and got a nod from the Fraga. After a moment of thought, she said, "I can't really think of anything right now. Maybe later? When I'm not so tired?"

"I suppose it would be asking too much from you right now. I apologize," said Bazett as she moved to the door, "I shall get my equipment prepared and see you in the evening."

"Yeah... you do that," Noel yawned as she watched the Enforcer let herself out. She sighed and slowly trudged back to her very welcome, comfy bed.

* * *

"Why did you call me here, Matou Shinji?"

Eddie and the boy stood on the shore of the large lake they stumbled upon previously. The person in question was positively beaming at him. Rather maliciously.

"It is time."

He stared at the Matou for a moment. "...Very well. On your mark, then," he finally said.

The grinning boy then had his clothes vanish and stepped into the lake stark naked. As he waded further in, his body started to bulge out of proportion and began to grow out of control. Soon, all that was there was a floating mass of flesh that continued to expand.

"There doesn't seem to be much of a change, Matou Shinji," the former Assassin called out. This was a very strange precedence and he did not understand what was happening.

He then heard a giggle. "As with all summonings, we need a suitable sacrifice. Thus, I am merely expanding and regurgitating what is left of my 'human' side," the boy informed him, "Not to worry, I intend to fashion something new for myself. And maybe, if the Grail is somehow being charitable, it may grant me something of my own to use."

"I see. Very well. We shall soon see if this 'sacrifice' is sufficient, Matou Shinji," said Eddie as he felt he had seen enough. It was fine if it was sufficient. If not, there are ways to make his prey come to him instead, where things are more beneficial to him.

* * *

Time seemed to pass quickly. The whole day was spent in training both physically and mentally. Swordsmanship with Saber and Assassin before lunch, followed by magus practice after. That left very little time for a break, but Shirou didn't mind. All that time was spent improving his abilities and himself. It helped him get stronger. Maybe strong enough to save people. He didn't want to lose anyone again. Not after losing Illya. He never even had the chance to get to know her better.

Surprisingly, Taiga didn't return for dinner. That left mealtime in a rather somber mood. Luvia and Rin said nothing, opting to seat as far away from each other as possible. Sakura tried to make small talk but eventually fell back into silence too.

After dinner, Luvia announced, "We should be out searching for them. Perhaps we should..."

"We do not have enough Servants to cover us," disagreed Rin, "We don't even know where to start searching. I think we should stay here and wait for the fake priest to strike again. At least we know his targets." Turning to her former sister, she asked, "What do you think, Sakura?"

Strangely enough, said girl didn't seem to be paying attention to the growing argument. Instead, she was looking outside. Everyone else followed suit and caught sight of her Servant staring at the sky. Suddenly, the Matou Master said, "We have to go outside. Assassin says something strange is going on."

Curiosity overtook everyone as they left their seats and stepped out into the yard to look at the sky.

"Hmm? Flares?" Sakura muttered as they watched eleven colored lights fall from their apex. Four were of a similar hue to each other, with the other seven sharing their own same color as well.

"That... that fake priest!" snarled Rin, her teeth and fists clenched.

"I agree. He is actually declaring his win?" Luvia summed up, her eyes narrowed in annoyance, "Plus, it looks like the flares came from the temple."

A sudden chill went down his spine. "Wait! But... that's where... Issei!" he exclaimed before turning around to run inside.

Before he could do so, Saber grabbed him by the arm and said sternly, "Shirou, be calm. We should move together as a group. Kotomine intends to lure us out and separate us. Let us not give him the satisfaction of that."

"Sakura, be ready to take us," the Tohsaka quickly planned out as she and the Edelfelt headed inside, "We go after we get our jewels."

"Alright, Rin-senpai," nodded her former sister.

He felt like he wanted to ignore it all and just run ahead to save his friend. But... Saber's words made him stop and think. Going alone and unprepared would get him killed. Doing that would not save anyone. So, he had to calm down. And then, steel himself for the coming battle. He will save his friend. He won't lose anyone he cared about ever again.

* * *

The night air was cold, but not until she could see her breath. Noel continued on her patrol route after checking in at the kōban. She was also informed that the monks from the temple were moved to a safer location as the supposed 'terrorist' bombers were probably targeting places of worship. Out of earshot of her fellow officers, she sighed. The excuses and explanations that somehow given were outrageous, but at least that stops outsiders from finding out of the War.

"Why did you ask me to accompany you, Noel?" Bazett asked as she walked alongside her.

A moment of silence before she replied with, "The War is normally fought during the night. It stands that there might be things that I will overlook. I was hoping that you could be an extra pair of eyes and ears for me."

"I suppose that is a good plan," agreed the Enforcer.

They continued on their patrol, going through the south-western area of Miyama. Nothing stood out of the ordinary after an hour of patrol. Then, they saw eleven flares being launched from the temple area.

"Noel. Look," said Bazett, catching sight of the colorful sign.

"...While it is strange that someone is firing flares tonight, I doubt there is anything connected to magecraft with it," replied the former Servant after some thought.

"Perhaps... but the grouping, color, and pattern of the flares tell a different story," explained the former, "They speak of victory and accomplishment. Someone is saying that they have won the War."

"...Not a 'they', but a 'he', isn't it?" queried the latter seriously, "You think Kotomine sent up those flares?"

"A very high possibility. We should investigate," answered the Enforcer as the flares fell down.

"Right," the officer agreed with a nod, followed by a question, "Do you know how to ride a bicycle?"

"I do. Why?" the Irishwoman asked.

"Because I have a bad feeling about this," Noel muttered as she unfolded the bike stand, "After listening to your explanation, I think it wouldn't hurt to be a little prepared. Bolverk." Her guns materialized in her hands. "Mind if I went ahead?" she asked.

"I do not. Perhaps I might take him by surprise if I showed up later," mused Bazett aloud.

"Alright. I'll see you there," nodded the former Servant as she sprinted ahead.

She jumped to the roof of the house that was in the way and pushed herself off with her legs. Soaring through the air for a few seconds, she landed smoothly on her feet and continued on her way. She leap-frogged the houses twice more and then she was met with grassy fields. It didn't take too long for her to reach the road that led up to the winding path to the temple. Neatly hurdling over the police barricade at the entrance, she ran all the way down the road to the temple steps. Her ascent took little to no time at all and she reached the top. Much to her shock, she was met with an emerging black dome near the stairs.

"Kirei!" she shouted angrily while pointing her revolvers at it, "I got you... now... Huh?"

Anger gave way to astonishment when the dome peeled back, revealing Saber and the four younger Masters.

* * *

"Noel? How did you... nevermind. You saw the flares too?" stammered the confused Tohsaka the moment she caught sight of the former Servant.

"I did... oh, sorry," the police officer replied as she lowered her revolvers.

"That... it's fine. You don't have to apologize," assured the former as she looked around. A bright red glow began rising up behind the temple, slowly getting brighter and brighter.

"Looks like we didn't have to look very far," commented Luvia, catching sight of it too.

"We should hurry up and stop them from whatever they are doing," declared Shirou as he turned to go.

Before anyone could react, a voice said, "Oh, no. I'm afraid not all of you will be allowed to run off like that."

This drew everyone's attention to the main temple's steps. Kotomine Kirei stood there, looking calm and collected, sporting an eerie smile on his face.

"What do you mean?" asked Luvia tensely. Everyone else had a similar reaction. Assassin materialized behind his Master, folded sword ready to strike.

"Hmm, do any of you perhaps know what this is?" he asked as he reached into his robes and pulled out a ceremonial looking dagger.

"That's..."

"It is. An Azoth Dagger. The very same one your father gave to me," the fake priest announced, "The same one he gave to me before he died."

"Why you..." growled out Rin as she ground her teeth.

"As to why you... or perhaps I should say, the Masters, cannot leave... it because of this," he continued as something seemed to fall on the whole courtyard.

"What... you activated a bounded field?" questioned the blonde warily.

"Correct. I learned many things besides what I was taught, this included," he explained, "I have keyed in the condition 'to not let any Master exit this place'. Ordinarily, Rin or Luvia should be able enough to remove this field. However, since I linked it to the dagger, I have made it a bit more difficult for them to do so." The darkness slowly crept up and enveloped his body as he spoke, "You will have to destroy it for you to pass." As the shadow completely covered him, he placed the ceremonial weapon to his chest, the inky blackness swallowing it whole.

"If that is the case, then Assassin, Noel, and I shall defeat you," declared Saber as she raised her weapon. Her fellow Servant walked forward to her right and readied up as well. Noel then moved up to cover her left flank. The Servant of the Sword nodded gratefully and then stared steely at the priest.

"Ah, Archer. Interesting," replied Kirei with a smirk, "Then, it's a pity. If you spend time trying to defeat me, then you may not have enough time to stop him."

"What are you talking about?" fired back the former Archer class Servant.

The fake priest lifted his hands and proclaimed, "The Grail has come forth. Even now, its body is now being made behind this very temple... tended by the giving hands of one... Matou Shinji."

"What? No..." gasped Sakura, covering her mouth with both hands.

"Now that you know, Servants, please choose wisely," he said with a smile, moving his hands behind his back.

Silence stilled the air as the remaining Servants contemplated his words. However, it was Shirou that broke it, "Saber, Assassin. Leave him to us Masters. Go and stop Shinji."

"What? Are you sure Shirou?" asked his Servant while keeping her attention on the fake priest.

"Hmm, I think I agree with him," added Rin, much to everyone's surprise, "After all, I want to take what I am due from him." She seemed to be sporting a small smile but gave off a rather dangerous vibe fully directed at the fake priest.

"Don't worry, Saber. I'll be helping..."

"No. You follow them too, Noel," the Tohsaka interrupted the former Servant, "With your help, they should be able to quickly finish him off and return."

"If you're sure..." the former muttered uncertainly. She turned to the other two and said, "Alright. Looks like I'll be joining you."

"Saber," Shirou called out, "If you can... please save him."

"If there is any possibility, I will," the Servant of the Sword replied before going with the other two.

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Rin?" asked Luvia as they watched the three fighters head off to the back of the temple.

"Yes. The fake priest wronged my family. It is up to me to get recompense for them," Rin told them, determination lacing her voice, "Of course, I welcome everyone's help as well."

This got a chuckle out of the priest, who hadn't said a word during the exchange. "Very well, Tohsaka Rin," he announced as the shadows around him seemed the bubble and rise behind him, "It is time to show you... that you have chosen poorly."

* * *

The Servants and Noel hurried to their next location. However, what they found astounded and shocked them. From what formerly looked like a lake that had crystal clear water, was now filled with a viscous, oily liquid. A huge mass of pulsating flesh quivered and squirmed in the middle, encompassing most of the lake of inky blackness. Above, the sky seemed to have been punctured and a black moon seemed to be leaking through. The reddish-black liquid seemed to be pouring through the hole in the sky, falling with a sickening sound.

"What... this is..." the former Servant muttered in shock.

"The Grail?" said Saber, her eyes narrowed in concentration as the winds around her sword dispersed, "Is this the height of Caster's corruption?"

"It seems there is no redemption to be had for the boy," stated Assassin as he looked around for the boy.

"Oh? It seems we have three pests," said a voice far off, coming from the top of the mountain of flesh, "Have you come to destroy the Grail?"

"Matou Shinji," commanded Saber, "Come down and face judgment."

"Oh, what a scary voice," he said condescendingly, "But, it is getting boring up here. So..."

Something fell from the top and made a splash as it fell into the lake. Then, slowly, a shape emerged as it walked up to them.

"Well, what judgment do you have for me?" the shadowy mass asked the three before him, the oily liquid flowing and dripping off him.

"Why have you brought the Grail forth?" asked Noel, "For all the power you're supposed to have, surely you could tell that it's cursed?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I don't really care," he replied, much to the discomfort of the audience present, "Right now, I only care to witness its power and maybe, just maybe, get some of it for myself. I will do this, and bring up the name of my family to the greatest of heights. Not even the Clocktower would even dare to compete with me once I am done!"

"He has lost his mind, Saber," mused Assassin, "All reasoning has been abandoned for power. I doubt there is anything left to save."

"Save? Me? Was it Emiya that put you up to this?" the boy asked as he chuckled darkly, "Perhaps you should look to your own wellbeing before trying to save me."

Suddenly, the Servant of Murder was thrown to the ground and dragged towards the ooze. He hit it with a splash and was dragged under.

"Assassin!" yelled the other two.

"Ah, you won't have time to worry about him," said Shinji as enough of the ooze came off his body, revealing clothes, a black suit with a white undershirt.

"In fact, you will see him soon enough, once this black stuff is done with him," he continued to explain. A pair of black trousers held up with two belts were then revealed as well as brown fingerless gloves.

"Which is actually, now."

A loud roar resounded in the area as Assassin burst through the oily blackness. His attire had no change, but his hands were pale with black veins highlighting them. His mask seemed to have darkened and his eyes were sporting a faint red glow.

Saber and Noel tensed up, but it was the former Archer who had a shiver run through her spine when she saw Shinji's transformation, now complete with a black fedora on his head.

"Now that we have all the players here," he announced with a very, familiar smile, "Let us play a game, little doll."


	29. Primeval

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

Primeval

The cold night seemed to become a little colder as the Servants, both present and former, went off to face their own fight. The priest said nothing; he stepped down the steps calmly and waited for the four Masters to act. The group, on the other hand, stood there tensely with three of them not really knowing what to do... save Rin.

"Edelfelt, you are with me. Hopefully, you brought enough jewels," she ordered calmly, glancing over at her self-denied rival.

"Of course I did. What do you take me for?" the blonde retorted with a smirk. She sighed and moved on to her former sister.

"Sakura... try your best to disrupt his shadow control," she told Assassin's Master, "Be confident. I know you can do it."

The Matou nodded while sounding her agreement. She sent a quick smile to her before turning to Shirou.

"Emiya... watch our backs," she told him, "And make sure that fake priest doesn't touch Sakura."

"I will," he affirmed, " **Trace on**." The twin falchions materialized in his hands, his grip firm on their hilts.

The Tohsaka heir took in a deep breath as she stared at Kirei, her brow furrowing lightly at her concentration. Then, she shouted, "Now, Edelfelt!"

The priest immediately threw up a barrier to fend off the multiple explosions that were peppering it. That was only a single volley, however, that allowed the Tohsaka to flank him and aim at him properly.

" **Gandr**!"

One concentrated shot struck his arm, leaving the spot where it struck smoking and sizzling. Subsequent ones missed as he quickly sank into his shadow to escape as he dismissed his shield. However, he stopped halfway as Sakura mustered enough of herself to freeze him in place, her shaking arms outstretched.

"Hah, take this, priest!" the blonde shouted as she threw a few more gems at him. They shot at him with frightening precision but finally crashed into his remade barrier. In return, a misshapen thing rose up to claw at her, only to be cut down by the boy.

Meanwhile, Rin continued to shoot Gandr curses at him, causing him to reshape the one-sided barrier into a dome instead. Luvia joined her in peppering it with her own curses. However, Sakura's arms tired and seconds later, the dome vanished into the ground.

"Get back," the Tohsaka called out as she moved back to the group. They stood in a circle and attempted to cover all sides of approach.

"Where do you think he would come from?" asked a wary Luvia.

"He could come from anywhere..." the former muttered but then caught sight of a black shape rising in front of her, "Look out!"

Shirou dashed in front of her while the girls moved back. He swung his swords, the cross-cut shaped attack he got from Archer cleanly quartered the shadow that rose up. Unfortunately, it wasn't the real one.

The priest rose up in the middle of the group with no warning given and grabbed Sakura by the back of her neck. She struggled to get out of his grip. Rin could hear her mumbling something at the same time. Then, a thin shadow rose up from her shadow, quickly forming into a thin humanoid being. It placed a hand against the fake priest, forming a disk. One vibration later, it sent the priest flying. It caught its summoner as she was released. It let her down on her feet and it moved, slid on the floor, heading towards their enemy.

"Sakura, are you alright?" asked the boy as he ran up to her.

"I... I'll be fine," she replied with a grateful smile.

"We should keep up the pressure, Edelfelt," said the Tohsaka heiress, dipping her hand into her pocket for her gems.

Luvia mirrored her and replied, "Save your breath, Rin. We take our chance now."

The both of them ran around opposite sides, tossing out gems that sped with unerring accuracy at the shadow priest, who was busy fending off a multitude of shadow spikes from the Matou summon. He suddenly took to the skies with large wings growing from its back. The girls sent a volley to the sky while the shadow summon just stood there waiting for him to land. He then fell and sank into the ground, avoiding the gems that neutralized each other in explosive fashion. This put everyone on guard once again, but since they were now separated, Rin quickly got to the nearest person. Luvia. Who got the same idea as she did and once more mirrored her actions. Suddenly, a small shark made of shadow knocked the shadow construct into the air and bit it in two. It reformed into the fake priest and landed on his feet.

Rin tried to attack again, reaching for a new gem in her pocket but found she couldn't move. A long slender sword was stabbed into the middle of her shadow and one of the priest's puppets sinking into the ground. Luvia was also in a similar predicament.

"Hmm, two incapacitated. Two more to neutralize," he summed up as the other two stood there, stunned by the sudden turn of events.

"Why you..." she grounded out, mentally kicking herself for forgetting that detail about the priest. The Emiya boy stood in front of her former sister protectively.

"Is that... Rin, did you just somehow leave this bit of information out?" the blonde hissed at her, "Why didn't you mention he was an EXECUTOR?"

The shadowy priest paid no attention to the growing argument, Instead, he slid over to the remaining two Masters.

"It slipped my mind, you ditz! You can't expect me to remember everything perfectly!" the former retorted as Shirou muttered something to Sakura.

The boy then charged at the priest with a yell while the violet-haired girl sprinted around them. The enemy remained silent, instead showed intent by extending out more swords, three on each hand. Held in between his fingers, he was swift with his parries seemed to be matching Shirou's attacks blow for blow. With the distraction in full swing, the Matou had no difficulty in reaching the other two girls.

"Good work, Sakura!" praised Rin gratefully as the girl reached to pull out the Black Key.

Kirei suddenly threw his blades at the boy, seemingly fully aware of what was happening. He dashed to the side, heading towards them speedily.

She pulled out the blade and moved to take hold of the other one while the Tohsaka magus steadied herself after being frozen in position for a short period of time.

Though he was surprised at the move, Shirou was able to roll out of the way and ended in a kneeling position. Noticing what his opponent was doing, he shouted, "No! Sakura!" He shot forward to give chase, a spike of fright running through him at the thought of another getting hurt.

She grasped and pulled, releasing the Edelfelt heiress. Hearing her crush's shout, she turned and froze at the sight of her teacher bearing down on her, her crush chasing after him. However, he suddenly slid to a stop and turned around. The fingers on his right hand elongated and sharpened, like daggers. Before she could shout out a warning, he moved. There was barely a sound as flesh was parted like a hot knife through butter.

"SENPAI!"

* * *

Saber was stunned at the sudden turnaround. She watched warily as Assassin and Shinji waded out of the mud. Glancing over at Noel, she noted the shocked state the former Servant seemed to be in.

" _What did he do to Assassin_?" she questioned as she moved her gaze back to the enemies before her, " _Could the mud be behind this? If so, we must take care not to be lured near it. Who knows what could happen if I was covered in it_."

"Well, Assassin. I think I'll leave Saber to you," said the Matou as he grinned like a madman, "I have a sudden urge to play with dolls today. I wonder why I can't stop calling her that... No matter! Time to play! Ouroboros!"

A small black and green portal opened up in front of him and a metal snake shot out. It grabbed the air in front of Noel just as he grabbed the chain. The portal closed and was pulled forward as he held his hat down. He landed on the former Archer with a harsh kick that sent her flying back. He turned to the side and gave Saber a little wave before running after her.

As shocked as she was, she kept herself calm and focussed on her current opponent, Assassin.

"Assassin, what happened?" she asked as she stood her ground, guard up.

He had no words for her. Instead, he continued to stare at her, his glowing red eyes boring into her like a sword would. Such a thing left her wary and cautious.

" _I see. I believe he is attempting to unsettle me to try and gain some sort of advantage_ ," she deduced as she maintained her focus. Yet, within the blink of an eye, he disappeared.

Her senses screamed a warning. She turned round and swung her sword, her invisible blade clashing with his. Assassin pushed back, trying to force the sword away from her but she was able to maintain her guard. She moved with the push and that allowed her to balance herself, to fall into her ready stance so easily. The Servant of Murder slowly drew himself up and reached into his coat, pulling out a gun. Her legs tensed up, ready to dash out of the way at a moment's notice. Then, the mark on the back of his hand glowed and much to her surprise, the air around him seemed to distort and bend. He took aim, fired three times, and proceeded to slash at the slow-moving bullets. Within the span of eight seconds.

She brought up her sword and two of the shots plinked against the blade while the last one hit her armor. However, this meant she was unable to keep her eyes on him and her instincts warned her of an incoming attack from above. She quickly dodged to the side and swung hard. The landing Servant was swift enough to lock blades with her.

" _Assassin has too many tricks. Very well, I had better engage quickly and prevent him from using them_ ," she thought as she mounted her offensive with clean, precise slashes. Unsurprisingly, he was able to keep up with her. With luck, she might even defeat him before Noel could defeat her opponent.

* * *

Noel tumbled and turned as she rolled to a stop on the ground. Thankfully, she was still able to hold on to her revolvers. Letting out several coughs, she slowly got to her feet.

" _Why did I freeze up like that_?"

"Well, looks like I get to have you all to myself," said Shinji as he nonchalantly made his way up to her, "Now, try to put some fight into it. I really want to test out this new body." He then kicked her in the gut, sending her further into the forest.

Slamming into a tree, she grit her teeth and stopped a groan from escaping her lips. She moved a little faster, scrambling to her feet, propping herself up with the long barrels and pushed herself up off the ground.

" _Is it because he looks like... like him_?"

A metal snake came at her and clamped down on her left arm. Holding back a cry of pain, her eyes widened as the fake Hazama flew at her and kicked her head down. Detecting a surge of power, she caught sight of him as she tumbled forward. He ran up the tree behind her a few steps and unleashed a powerful kick. The wind was forcefully pushed out of her lungs as she watched his leg glow black and green when he kicked. The subsequent pillar of energy pushed her quite far. She felt herself get slammed into a rock face. Did she crash into the mountain? She couldn't tell. There were still a lot of trees around her.

" _That... he never did that before. What am I saying? Shinji is not him._ "

She shook her head as she got up. She let off a groan as she felt jolts of pain light up in her body. She didn't know how far she went, but the boy hadn't shown up yet. He sounded quite confident, bordering on arrogant even. But with the way he sounded in that body, his voice was dripping with malice. She took her time to center herself, preparing to fight back.

" _No, he isn't him. He may have the same powers, the same skills. But, not his experience._ "

"Still down? Really?" she heard him say as he finally showed up, "I thought you had more than this, being a former Servant. Pah, I guess you're a useless doll after all."

She slowly got to her feet and into her ready stance. He blinked a few times and grinned.

"Oh, now you're showing some fight? Don't think that just because you can stand up you..."

She said nothing. Now was not the time to reply to his banter. Not just yet. Instead, she took a step forward, turned around, and kicked him in the jaw.

"Spring Raid!"

She went over with a backflip, the force of momentum keeping her afloat as she sent him skyward. She landed on both feet, neatly planted on the ground.

"Ouroboros!"

She watched as the chain grabbed the ground and pulled Shinji after it. "You... heh, so you think that little kick can beat me?" he sneered at her as he took out his knife and started doing some flipping tricks with it.

"You aren't him," she said calmly. The first few words that she actually directed at him. But, she put all of her conviction into those words.

"Eh?"

"You may look like him. You may have his powers. But you're not him," she told him confidently, "Since you're not him, I can beat you."

She immediately swapped out the revolvers to the shotgun, aimed and fired.

* * *

"SENPAI!"

Blood dripped down Eddie's fingers. The boy's breathing became labored and short. His eyes went wider as the fake priest pulled them out. He slid back as the boy went to his knees. Sakura ran past him and knelt in front of her crush, her shaking hands reaching for his wound but not knowing what to do, merely hovered there. The other two followed after her. The blonde had torn off the sleeves of her dress and began pressing down on the wounds as she gently pushed the Matou out of the way. Smart girl, seeing that his fingers went through the boy's body. The Tohsaka took the other sleeve and pressed it to his back.

"We have to stop the bleeding now," Luvia told them as the sleeve slowly became redder and redder, "Rin, can you do that thing you did the last time this happened."

"No, I can't," his ward quickly replied, "At that time, I had a special jewel that I had been preparing for ten years."

"I... looks like I can't... ugh," muttered Shirou, giving the girls a weak smile, "Sorry. I think I can't keep my promise."

"Shut up, Emiya. Don't you dare say that!" the former yelled at him, "Damn it... there has to be a... Wait..."

Her eyes went wide as if having some sort of epiphany or a recollection of something.

"That... That's the answer!" she shouted, "Avalon!"

There was a silence that fell upon them before Luvia retorted, "Of course. Pray tell in what way does that have to do with this now? If you haven't noticed, Shirou here is bleeding out!"

"Avalon is the fabled scabbard of Excalibur that belonged to King Arthur," Rin explained through gritted teeth, "Somehow, Emiya here has been in the possession of that legendary scabbard and has somehow merged with it. His father probably had something to do with that. That's how he could have summoned Saber when he had no catalyst. This is also why he had accelerated healing when Saber was near him when he got injured by Berserker."

"That... that does make sense," Luvia muttered in aghast. But then she shook her head and said, "But, that fact is useless when we can't even get him to his Servant. We are stuck in this bounded field and unless we can defeat that damned priest, we will lose him."

_"Smart girls, the both of them. Truly a testament to their family_ ," the former Assassin thought, " _And yet, all that knowledge and reasoning being made useless in my trap. There was no way they could do anything significant to me. I can evade them with ease. Their so-called protector was gravely wounded and my student was too emotionally fraught with worry to do anything. Soon, the summoning will be complete and I will finally get my wish granted... a further purpose in this world_."

However, he picked out something strange with his apprentice. She gave the impression of trembling. What could be happening? Slowly, she stood up, her head bowed down as she turned to face him.

"Sakura? What are you doing?" asked his ward, trying her best to slow the bleeding.

"No... Sakura!" called out the boy after her, weakly attempting to get up but was being restrained by the other two.

"Stop it, Shirou! Don't move! The bleeding will become worse!" reprimanded the blonde as she held him back.

"You should listen to them, young one," Eddie told her, feeling that a measure of wariness is needed. He did teach her, after all.

"I want Senpai to live... my one selfish request," she said as she looked up, her tear-stained face looking back at him with unexpectedly fierce determination, "I am... sorry... Master. I will save him... as he has done for me."

" **In creation and in death, there is only shadow and darkness**..."

Her shadow twisted and morphed behind her, forming a large pool of darkness behind her. This was followed by a loud crack echoing through the courtyard. A large clawed hand reached out from the depths and grabbed the ground. Another followed. And another. And another. All four moved as if opening up a rift in the ground and a huge shadow creature hauled itself out of the pool. It towered over everyone present. It was human in shape, lean with scaly ridges as skin. It had a horned visage, much like a devil or demon. Four large, arching spikes rose up from its back. Two mouths adorned its shoulders with spikes coming out of the top. Its two upper arms had blade-like extensions coming out of the elbow and extending past its hands. It had a long tail and beast-like legs, both of which were littered with spikes. Its eyes and mouths glowed a bright red.

It let loose a great roar to announce its presence and immediately charged him down with a sudden burst of speed. It was... unexpected for something so huge to move so quickly. It slammed into him and then grabbed him by the waist. It then turned to slam him into the ground, breaking through the cement and creating a large crater.

" _This... will be difficult_."

* * *

She almost fell to her knees but she was able to keep it together. Sakura stumbled back as she turned around. Her face was flush as if her temperature suddenly skyrocketed, which was not too far from the truth. The whole process took a lot out of her, perhaps a bit too much.

"Sakura, are you alright?" asked Rin worriedly as she reached them and fell to her knees.

"It... it's fine, Rin... I think... I used... too much," she muttered in between labored breaths.

"I certainly hope its enough," said Luvia as she checked on the bleeding, "It just keeps coming. Whatever that priest did... we need to get him to Saber! Now!"

"I... sorry... about that... Edelfelt," the boy grit out in between breaths. He was now looking quite pale, even though he tried his best to look strong as to not worry the others.

"Maybe, I can... help?" the Matou said as she stretched her hand out to him. A dark patch of shadow crept up and went under the bloodied sleeves.

"Sakura!" her former sister shouted in protest and concern, "This is too much!"

"No, it's alright," the former rebutted softly with a smile, "It... it's fine."

"I hope it is worth it," the blonde muttered softly as she checked again. The sleeve was fully drenched; not a speck of blue could be seen.

With everything going on, they didn't notice a stealthy silhouette keeping track of things behind the stairs gate. As quietly as possible, the figure uncapped a cylinder and rolled out something metallic the size of a tennis ball. And then, a silent whisper.

" **Fragarach** **.** "

The figure repeated the action. With two floating balls of metal hovering behind her, she maintained her observation. It was up to her to break the trap, after all. Everyone is needed to help stop a catastrophe from happening.


	30. All The World's Evils

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

All The World's Evils

Crashing metal. The grinding of edges. The clashing of swords. Saber did her best to fully engage him, parrying and slashing to keep him near. Assassin, still able to dart in and out through his teleporting, wasn't able to find a chink in her defense. He kept at it until the latest clash. As he Blinked away, the Servant of the Sword heard a ticking sound. She looked down and noted a green round object with sparks coming out of one end. She leaped back while shielding her face with her gauntleted shield arm. A normal person would have been shredded to bits. Only the blue cloth covering her armor was burned and slashed to a tatter.

Distracted, she wasn't able to stop him from grabbing her gorget from behind and attempt to penetrate her throat with his sword. She was, however, able to hook her own blade into his hilt's guard, halting its progress at a hair's breadth away. As unsteady the position she was in, her strength was enough to hold it back. She kept at it for a moment before unleashing a powerful Prana Burst, throwing him back several meters away. She quickly spun around to watch him tumble several times before landing on his feet, his body close to the ground.

"Assassin, you have to come to your senses!" she shouted, attempting to reason with him,"Fight the mud's influence!"

He had no reply for her, for he Blinked in front of her and sent a heavy slash her way. She was ready, her invisible blade parrying it away like so many attacks before.

_Has the mud truly clouded his mind?_

With a roar, she replied with her own, downward slash. Assassin tumbled back and then threw another one of those ticking balls straight into the air. He then raced straight at her. She charged in as well, wondering what sort of tactic could warrant such a charge. And why did he throw his explosive into the air? Their blades clashed a few times before he waved his hand out in front of him, prompting a huge gust of wind to be blasted into her. It was quite strong, but not able to push her back. Instinctively covering her face and leaning forward to resist the attack, she suddenly heard that familiar ticking sound coming nearer and nearer. Once more, she got caught in the resulting explosion. This time, she was forced back a few steps. As the fire died out, she grit her teeth. Soot dusted her open skin, soot from the burnt cloth, and her armor seemed tinted darker at some places. Listening to her instinct once more, she swung around and attacked.

" **Strike Air**!"

It struck like a hammer, smashing Assassin into a tree. Calmly, she got ready to attack when something made her start. She turned to look in the direction of the temple. Something felt wrong. She could feel the Master-Servant link weakening.

_Shirou... what happened?_

Suddenly feeling even more pressure to become victorious, she tried snapping her opponent out of the mud's influence once more, "Assassin! Fight the taint! It has corrupted the Grail! You must..."

"Lies, All!" he suddenly shouted back as he dragged himself to his feet, "I will not listen to your lies, Saber! I need the Grail! I must have it!"

"Why!"

"I need to stop him!" he replied, sounding more desperate, "That man... Havelock... Havelock... HAVELOCK!"

Then, he Blinked forward with a cry of fury. She was able to anticipate it and locked swords with him. The swords went lower until she could see his eyes. His fury. His anger. His despair.

"HAVELOCK! GIVE HER BACK! RETURN MY DAUGHTER!"

* * *

Shinji dodged out of the way, the spread shot going wide. Noel wasted no time chasing after him, bringing back her revolvers as she ran. Unexpectedly, he had the same idea and mirrored her actions. She quickly skidded to a halt and shot at him.

"Optic Barrel!"

"Ouroboros!"

He quickly grabbed the chain and went up a tree to avoid the explosion. She turned her view skyward, taking aim as she carefully followed his trail. The revolvers fired once she was able to pick up his lead. He replied to that by pushing himself off the trunk with his legs. Going airborne, he twisted in the air and started throwing knives at the former Servant. Changing her focus, she smoothly intercepted each knife with a shot, six in all. Meanwhile, he summoned a chain and dragged himself to the ground.

"Over here!" he shouted cheerily as he stood up with cross slashing with two knives.

She blocked with her revolvers while pushing away. But, that left her open as he suddenly ducked and slashed her legs, toppling her. He then stepped forward and kicked her up, keeping her off her feet, followed by the cross slash attack. Drawing blood, he leaped up after her, twirling and slashing with his knives before sending her crashing to the ground with a hard kick. Shinji landed with a grin as Noel tried gingerly to get up. His attacks cut holes in her uniform and a few were bleeding. She grunted, holding back the pain as he stepped up to her.

"Well, so much for fighting back," he sneered at her maliciously as he squatted in front of her, "It seems being a former Servant wasn't all cut up to be, eh?"

"You..." she muttered with discomfort, " **Nox Nyctores**... **Arcus Diabolus: Bolverk**." She suddenly glowed brightly. As the light died down, she was now dressed in the outfit that she wore in her dream ten years ago. She was also fully healed.

"What did..."

His voice died in his throat when she pivoted on her knee, hitting his side first with the barrel of her revolver and then his legs with her leg. Stunned, she stood up and fired in his face at point-blank range. As he staggered back, she tumbled forward and jabbed a barrel into his thigh. She then twirled back and shot down. The ground under the Chaos-addled boy exploded, launching him. She followed by throwing her gun forward, the weapon spinning and grinding into his back, then it returned to her hand like a boomerang. Hopping forward, she sent three shots into his body. Landing first, she kicked him into the air again.

"Spring Raid!"

Once more landing first, she slashed at him, her barrel slamming into his side. Seemingly moving faster, she then kicked him while lining up a shot with her revolver. the force of the blast slammed him into a tree that she was leading him to with her attacks. Another hop, another three shots went to his body.

"Bullet Storm!"

Her speed went into overdrive, firing a long volley of bullets into his body.

"Thor!"

Bolverk glowed and transformed into a rocket launcher. She fired the grinning missile at Shinji's falling body. Landing on her feet, she grasped the revolvers tightly as the explosion rocked the ground and sent the tree the boy was falling from crashing to the ground. And then there was silence. She sighed.

" _No, I don't think it was enough_ ," she mused silently through her heavy breathing, " _I don't know how that mud gave him Hazama's powers, but it stands to reason that it gave him his durability as well. I... may have to use it_."

Taking a deep breath, she held her guns up, each pointing the opposite way. With one pointing up and one pointing down, she slammed the triggers together. The barrels broke off the guns and the weapons themselves shattered, disappearing into motes of light. They reformed into a symbol, her pair of revolvers in an X-formation.

" **Restriction 6-6-6, Activate!** "

"Oh? Are you bringing out a new toy?" asked out loud Shinji as he stepped out of the cloud of dust, causing her to freeze up. "Your attacks are quite dangerous. Do you want to kill me? Haha, of course! But I want to live as long as possible," he announced with another malicious smile, "Since you want to show me yours, why not I show you mine!" At those words, he opened his eyes.

" **Restriction 6-6-6, Released!** "

Her eyes went wide at the implication. She quickly rushed with her incantation. He did the same with cackling laughter.

" **Boundary Prime Field Device deployed!** "

" **Deploying dimensional interface force field!** "

" **Mu-12, Activate!** "

" **Code S.O.L.! BlazBlue Activate!** "

A metal chain shot out at her, to which she blocked with one of her swords. Shinji came flying after, kicking the blade out of the way and tried to slash her. Blocked by another one. They ended up facing each other as he landed. She could see what looked like sickly green spirits circling around him, his yellow eyes looking eagerly at her.

"Well, now that we've shown each other our trump cards," he said eerily as he took off his fedora and tossed it at the fallen tree, neatly hooked on a branch, "I think it's time to get rid of a broken doll. So will you please die for me?"

* * *

The shadow devil removed its hand. The former Assassin was missing. Suddenly, a small shadow shark shot out of the ground and struck its chin. It took a few steps back in recoil. Eddie then spread his wings in midair and flew straight at it, landing both taloned feet on its face. Unfortunately, it was only staggered and righted itself with its tail when he pushed himself off. It roared angrily and stomped the ground, sending out five waves of shadow spikes fanning out of the point of impact. Eddie neatly landed in between the trail of spikes but he did not account for the simultaneous attack. The shadow dashed forward and grabbed him, slamming his body to the returning spikes upon release. His body crashed into the spikes, which shattered like glass, ending against a nearby column. He fell, leaving a spiderweb of cracks. It lumbered over as he gingerly picked himself up.

_Truly difficult_.

A little Eddie lurched out of the ground and clawed at Sakura's construct. It was stomped on immediately. At the same time, several thin bone-like spikes rose and surrounded him, interlocking at the top. With a great roar, millions of shadow spikes flew out of the mouths, spraying the prison and its contents within for a few seconds. When the mouths closed, he was missing, leaving behind the spike riddled container. Another little Eddie rose from the ground. Meanwhile, he repeated the same move he did earlier, staggering the shadow monster as he emerged from the shadow shark. Spreading his wings, he flew forward and raked its eyes. Leaning forward, a huge axe head burst out of his head and slashed its head. A second one bloomed from the first and did the same. His head reformed and stretched out with its neck to bite on its face. To finish it off, he threw his hands up and transformed into a huge sword that cut its head cleanly down the middle.

_But not impossible_.

As he transformed back and landed on his feet, the little Eddie then transformed into a huge hand and grabbed the headless body. "Grand Finish," he declared as he turned his back on it with a flourish. A shadow dragon's head rose up and consumed the body with one bite before falling back into the ground.

Now that he was free of it, Eddie turned back to the four Masters.

* * *

"What... that monster..." Rin muttered, feeling a deep dread as the fake priest slowly glided over to them.

"...Shirou, stop struggling," Luvia hissed as the boy tried to move and get to his feet.

"No, urgh, that priest, argh, I have to do something," Saber's Master groaned out weakly.

"No... it didn't work," whimpered Sakura in disbelief.

"Your attempt was worthy of praise, young one," the shadow priest said as he gestured with his hands, "But, I am still your master and your teacher. I am more powerful than you. You could not hope to win." Turning his attention to the Tohsaka Master, he addressed her, "And you, do you see now that your decision making is at fault. I would never have thought you of all people to make such an error."

"Shut up, you damned priest!" she retorted heatedly, standing up and pointing at him on emphasis, "You betrayed my father! You killed my mother! How could I not pay you back for that!?"

He let off a chuckle before his reply, "So, Archer told you in the end. In that case, there is little use to hiding it. Did she tell you the Grail was cursed as well?" Getting no answer from them, he continued, "Indeed, but not by what you think. It wasn't done by Caster. It was cursed long before the Fourth War."

Much to their horror, he raised his arms up, "Imagine the cup, filled with All the World's Evils, drowning the world in its entirety. Humanity will eventually be exterminated, leaving only not-human creatures."

"But... you lecture me about my choices and yet you rejoice at that?" shouted Rin, aghast with his statement, "You will die too!"

"What makes you think I am human in the first place?" he asked with a smirk.

Shirou started struggling again, even with Luvia holding him down. Sakura's head bowed down, her mind filled with worry for the red head, denying that he might very well die and she was absolutely helpless. Rin shuddered as she fell to her knees, unable to think of a way to get out of this mess.

Suddenly, everyone heard loud steps heading towards them. Someone everyone recognized.

"Ah, Bazett, what are you doing here?" the fake priest asked, sounding very welcoming but his posture became tense.

To the others, her presence was quite welcome. She was in her Enforcer uniform, but she also had three floating metal spheres next to her. She did not reply to his question, instead got ready to punch.

"Bazett, what are..." he started to repeat.

" **Toole...** "

"...you doing here?"

The metal sphere floated in front of her fist, a blade rising out of the shiny surface. Aimed at the priest.

" **...Fragarach.** "

She punched. The blade flew true, striking the center of his body, the momentum lifting him up. The other spheres flew off at that moment. One struck from below, entering his back and sending him higher. The third came from above, the force sending him crashing to the ground. Then, as if the area was filled with the sound of breaking glass, the oppressive nature of the Bounded Field was lifted and the four started to breathe a little easier. The shadows receded from his body as he lay still on the broken cement tiles of the courtyard. On his torn chest lay the broken dagger, shattered beyond repair.

Luvia then got to her feet, pulling the Emiya's weakened body with her and putting his arm over her shoulder. "Rin, we should hurry. We have to get him to Saber," she reminded the Tohsaka, who looked to her and nodded in agreement.

Sakura rose as well, facing the enforcer and bowed gratefully, "Thank you for your help."

The Irishwoman nodded as the girl turned around and hurried after the hobbling trio. She spared a moment to look at the dead priest before going after them.

Soon, all was silent once more. He opened his eyes.

"That was painful," he commented as he got to his feet. Looking down at his chest, he smirked and muttered, "It is always the chest, isn't it? Kotomine dying being shot in the chest. And now, the fake heart getting destroyed by those blades."

Looking towards the glowing conflagration, he muttered as he mused over their actions, "I wonder... my young student didn't seem to notice the smearing of her Seals. What did you do, Matou Shinji?"

* * *

Watching Assassin losing his mind like that only brought forth pity. He was a good ally. It was a sad thing to do, but it had to be done.

"Assassin!" Saber roared as she pushed back, having firmly decided that she had to kill him. If only to put him out of his misery. However, the Servant of Murder seemed to have fallen back to his hit-and-run tactics, disappearing from her sight. Once again, she was forced to stand her ground and wait. To react to his moves. And such a thing irked her greatly, even if she understood why he did so.

She swung Excalibur again, her blade meeting his with a crash. He pushed for a moment before disappearing again. Then, that ticking sound again. Looking up, she saw three grenades falling towards her. With a yell, she cut through each one as it fell, the halves spinning away from where she was. Three explosions went off around her, the blasts not as large as the ones that went off on her earlier. Slipping back into her guard, her eyes darted around, looking for any sign of the Servant. Suddenly, she spun round and slashed at him. Assassin ducked under the blade and slashed back, holding his sword in reverse grip. As the blade skidded across the lower part of her breastplate, she swiftly raised her sword and swung down. He quickly swapped his grip and brought it over his head, the invisible sword sliding off it like water as he continued moving forward. As the blade fell off the tip, he quickly wrapped his left arm around her sword arm, catching hold on the overlaps of her armor. All that while deftly reversing his grip on his folding sword, he aimed at her neck and stabbed. She intercepted in time, catching the blade in her free gauntleted hand.

She disliked this precarious position. She never expected Assassin to get past her guard and tie her up like this. She struggled to release her arm but he held firm.

"Today, you die, Havelock," he growled out as he pushed down on his blade. The red glow on the eyelets of his mask intensified as he spoke.

She narrowed her eyes and stood firm. "Wake up, Assassin! Don't let yourself be blinded any further!" she shouted in reply. He only roared and she matched the force he used to push against the blade. Suddenly, he ceased all effort, his gaze turning to his left. She turned to look and her eyes went wide. At the same time, she could feel him disappear.

"On your guard!" she shouted to the five Masters as she took up her sword and took on a defensive stance, "Assassin has been turned!"

"Saber? What are you talking about?" asked Rin as the group stopped in their tracks.

"Sakura, let me look," said Luvia as the Matou complied with her request. "...so it is true," she muttered as she brightened up, "They are closing up."

"You shouldn't have come this early," Saber stated as her eyes darted around, her movements taking her around the group.

"What happened?" asked Sakura timidly.

"More importantly, what is this... horror?" asked Bazett, looking towards the former lake.

It was quite abrupt. A sense of fear flooded the entire area. Assassin appeared before the group, his sword held in reverse grip in front of him while his other hand was behind it, its mark glowing eerily. All the Masters froze.

"This... feeling..." stammered Rin, showing a fear that was uncharacteristic of her.

"What is..." muttered Luvia, not as fearful sounding but shared a similar look.

Sakura ran to Shirou's side, clinging on to his back and burying her face in it. The boy struggled to move, muttering weakly, "No... must... protect them."

Bazett seemed to have some resolve left in her and she prepared to fight, aiming to get them away. She whispered something softly to herself, the runes on her gloves and her pants lighting up. However, she didn't have to do anything.

Without a word, Saber took a few steps to the side, making sure the group was not between her and the other Servant. She then aimed her sword behind her.

"Traitors! The lot of you!" Assassin shouted as the red glow reached its brightest, "If I must go through you, so be it!"

" **Strike Air**!"

She shot forward like a bullet. She put in enough to reach him in a powerful, short burst. She quickly turned the blade around, aiming it at his heart. The blade struck true as she landed on her feet. He looked down, his mask covering his reaction. Slowly, the paleness of his skin and the blackness of his veins seemed to fall away like cinders and ash. His breathing became heaving and labored as he tilted the mask up, revealing his face.

"I do not want to go through that... ever... again," he muttered slowly, his body slowly disintegrating to black dust.

"Assassin..." muttered Sakura as she stepped out from behind Shirou.

"My time is done. Do take care of yourself, Master," he wished her as he slowly disappeared into nothingness.

No one said a thing for a moment. A sign of respect for the passing of a warrior.

"This is not over. Not yet," spoke up Rin as she turned around to face the mountain of flesh, "We must deal with this. Saber, can you manage?"

"I believe so," the Servant of the Sword replied as she took stock of herself, "My Noble Phantasm should be enough to destroy it."

She dispelled the wind around her sword, revealing its radiance to the world. She walked towards the bank of the lake and held her sword up. Suddenly, a large shadow rose up and clawed at her. Taken aback, she quickly cut it down and retreated towards the group. Then, he appeared.

"You!" shouted out the Tohsaka heir in disbelief.

"Indeed. Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated," said Kirei as he smiled. He was quite unperturbed by the large hole in his chest, where his heart should be.

Turning to Saber, he said, "Well, you survived whatever Matou Shinji had planned for you. Still, I will not allow you to destroy the Grail. Not yet." Glancing at the grotesque sight behind him, "Do you agree?"

" **I** _a_ g **r** _e_ _e_ , E **dd** i _e_."

Much to their horror, a humanoid looking thing emerged from its oily depths. It seemed to be alight with black fire, the wisps of flame breaking of and fading out into the void. The only thing that identified its face was its glowing red eyes. It lifted a three-fingered hand up and stared. Saber tensed up. It had a malicious and other-worldly feel to it. Was this the will of the Grail? She had no idea of its skills and powers. Plus, she had to fight defensively lest the others behind her come to harm.

" **I** n _ee_ d a b _e_ **tt** er v _e_ **ss** _e_ l," it mused aloud as it turned its attention to the Masters and the lone Servant, " **Y** _ou_ r v _e_ **ss** _e_ ls l _oo_ **k s** _ui_ t _a_ bl _e_."

" **I** th _i_ **n** k I w _i_ **ll** t _a_ **k** _e_ _i_ t."


	31. Destiny

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

Destiny

Noel grit her teeth as she shot forward to meet his challenge.

"Ooh, very eager, are we?" Shinji sneered as he did the same while drawing a knife out.

Her swords slashed out in unison, only for the attack to be parried. Tumbling forward, she struck out with her feet and jabbed upon landing. Sending out another slash, her swords glowed and disappeared into a circle behind her. That same circle appeared right in front of him and all eight blades poked out of it.

"You have to catch me first," he taunted as he parried the swords, save that last attack. He was now traveling up a tree thanks to the chain snake he caught on to.

"Strike."

A white orb appeared and shot at the grinning boy, who let go and the beam passed harmlessly over him. He summoned another chain and he shot down towards her.

"Lost Dreams."

His foot connected with the red barrier, electricity arcing in between the two. He grunted and launched himself off the trapezoid, landing on his feet.

"Foolish. Release. Blade of Light."

The previous orb dissolved and four others appeared around her. She dashed towards him as they fired, every beam specifically aimed to make sure he stays on the ground.

"Clever girl," he snarled out with a frown. He lashed out with his knife but she ducked under the blade and grabbed his throat.

Noel lifted him up while the swords radiated around his head with the blunt end aimed at him. Letting go, they crashed into his throat and threw him into the air. The swords went back to her as he rose. As he fell, she spun around, the blades slicing the air in front of her and his back. She then flipped back, kicked him and jabbed him with a sword. As his body fell to the floor, she spun around the other way, the blades slicing upwards and sending him airborne once more. She jumped after him and spun in the air, the blades slashing in two pirouettes. She spun forward, going head over heels as she slammed the blades into him and sent him crashing to the ground a second time.

She landed gracefully. Keeping up her guard, she slowly walked over to his unmoving body. She quickly pulled a sword in front of her face when she noticed a portal forming over him, the snake chain clanging against it. Batting it away, she saw that he was now on one knee... looking at his watch?

"Hmm, it's time," he announced while looking up and giving her a malicious smile.

" **Chains of Torment**."

She was surprised to find yellow glowing chains bursting out of the ground and binding her whole body. Struggle as she might, they would not budge.

" _Darn... these look like Caster's chains_ ," she recalled with worry, " _And with that book... how could I have forgotten_..."

"Yes, it is time," he said as he balanced his knife on his pointer finger. As he loomed over her, he tipped the knife off and grabbed it while declaring, "Time to remove some mud."

The knife fell.

* * *

The Masters froze upon hearing its words. The fact that they could feel the hatred and malice already in the air intensify when the Will of the Grail made that announcement didn't help. It was only due to the light of Excalibur washing over them could they steel themselves against it. Saber tightened her grip on the Sword of Promised Victory warily.

"What are you..." muttered Rin, expressing the question in their minds.

" **I** s **ee** y **ou** l _e_ **ft** s _o_ m **eo** n _e a_ l **iv** _e_ ," it stated as it waded nearer to them and stepped out of the mud, ignoring her question, "D _i_ d y **ou** h _a_ v _e_ tr **ou** bl _e_ w _i_ **th** h _e_ r?"

"A minor flaw that will be rectified soon," he replied as the shadows engulfed him again.

"G **oo** d," it replied as it made a cursory glance over the Masters, " **Hm** m, **I** s _u_ **pp** _o_ s _e_ **I** sh _a_ **ll** ch **oo** s _e_ **th** _e o_ n _e i_ n **th** _e_ s **ui** t."

"You will not lay a hand on them," declared Saber sternly, "I will defend them with my life."

"Bold words, Saber," sneered the heartless priest, "What can you-"

Suddenly, the Will of the Grail lifted its hand. It looked towards the forest as it muttered, " **S** _o_ , **th** _e_ _A_ r **ch** _e_ r d **ie** s. **A** p _i_ **ty**."

"Impossible," retorted Saber quickly, "Noel is stronger than that boy. There is no way-"

" **H** _e_ r b _o_ **dy** w _a_ s cr **ea** t _e_ d _i_ n **th** _e_ m _u_ d," the dark being interrupted as it turned its head to her, "Gr _a_ **nt** _e_ d, **sh** _e_ h _a_ d _a_ n... _u_ n _u_ s **ua** l r _e_ s _i_ **st** _a_ **nc** _e_ t _o_ **my** _i_ **nf** l _ue_ **nc** _e_. _E_ v _e_ n s _o_ , **I** w _i_ **ll kn** _o_ w."

"What are you!?" repeated Rin loudly, her sudden anger throwing her caution to the wind.

" **I** _a_ m **th** _e_ Gr **ai** l. **I** _a_ m _A_ v _e_ **ng** _e_ r _o_ f **th** e **Th** _i_ rd W _a_ **r** ," it growled out in reply, its voice full of scorn, " **I** _a_ m A **ng** r _a_ M _ai_ **ny** u."

"Avenger? Third War?" repeated Luvia, wracking her brains to where she had heard of that before. Her eyes widened at her recollection, "You! The elder told me about this. You were that Servant that died early in the War."

"...I **rr** _e_ l _e_ v _a_ **nt**. N _o_ m _o_ r _e_ d _e_ l _a_ **ys** ," it announced. Turning to the fake priest, it continued, "K _i_ **ll** S _a_ b _e_ **r. C** _a_ **pt** _u_ r _e_ **th** _e_ M _a_ **st** _e_ **rs**. **I** w _i_ **ll** h _a_ v _e_ **my** v _e_ **ss** _e_ l."

He nodded and proceeded to glide over to them. Saber tensed up and took a step forward.

The priest chuckled and said, "Do you truly think that-"

" **Chains of Torment.** "

Yellow, glowing chains burst out of the ground and entangled both of them. A second later, maniacal laughter rang through the clearing.

"Hello! Did you miss me!?" Shinji called out as he stepped into view of both groups.

"What is the meaning of this, Matou Shinji?" asked the fake priest calmly while Angra Mainyu began struggling and thrashing around, trying the get the chains off.

"This? Why, to destroy you, of course," the boy said with an unnerving smile.

" **Y** _ou_ **tr** _u_ **st** _e_ d **th** _i_ s b _o_ y? **Y** _ou_ f _oo_ l!" shouted the Avenger.

"He was instrumental in bringing you forth. How could I not?" the shadow priest rebutted.

The transformed boy cackled as he looked over to the shocked group and Saber. "Well, what are you waiting for? Do you need an invitation to use your Noble Phantasm?" he asked mockingly.

Saber glanced back to the others. "Do it. Whatever Avenger is doing comes first," Rin told her, the one to break out of her shock.

The Servant nodded and turned to focus on the great monstrosity on the lake of mud. "I hope this is enough," she muttered as she readied her sword above her head, though the intensity remained the same.

"You will," spoke up Shirou weakly as he lifted up his arm that had the Seals, "By my Command Seal, I order you to destroy the Grail, Saber!"

Upon those words, the light of the Sword increased as the power of the Seals poured into her. All struggling from the muddied Avenger ceased as he and the fake priest stared at its brilliance.

"Indeed. Thank you, Shirou," she stated with a small smile.

" **Ex-** "

" _ **NO! I will not be vanquished again!**_ " roared Angra Mainyu as he thrashed around with renewed vigor. The shadows on Kirei's body started lashing out and a dark figure tried to slip past the chains but failed. As it writhed and squirmed around, it left the body behind trying to escape its impending doom.

"You think you can escape? You can't escape your fate, fools!" gloated Shinji amidst his cackling.

" **-calibur!** "

The sword came down.

* * *

Noel's eyes flew open as she sat up, the air being sucked into her lungs at a quickened pace. Gingerly, she felt her neck. Nothing.

_His glinting eyes as he stabbed her._

_The feeling of disintegration._

As she calmed down, she took stock of her surroundings. A forested area. Shinji left her there? No sign of him and his fedora was gone.

_Where did he go?_

She had a sinking feeling as she got to her feet.

_The others might be in_...

She stopped in her tracks when a huge pillar of light rose and fell. It wouldn't take long to get there if she hurried. And so, she started running.

_That looked like Saber's Noble Phantasm. Was she successful? Maybe, Shinji was delayed long enough for her to either knock out or... kill Assassin. Perhaps... she destroyed the Grail._

She kept her hopes up as the trees flew past her. Eventually, she burst out of the clearing as the light faded away. Much to her surprise, there were five Masters there. Obviously, Saber was there, slowly lowering her sword to survey the destruction that was inflicted on the land. Then, there was a grinning Shinji standing off to the side.

"What a marvelous performance," he stated as he began to clap, "Thus, ends your part. My turn now."

"What do you-"

A furious roar erupted as Angra Mainyu's figure burst out of the lake, interrupting Saber's question. It was thinner compared to what it took on earlier, now looking like an emaciated person rather than a humanoid looking animal. The darkness on it was also dripping away at parts of its body.

_Impossible. Her noble Phantasm should have destroyed it._

" _ **Damn you, Saber! I will not be stopped! Not this time!**_ " it bellowed out, " _ **I still have enough power from that to deal with you. Then, I shall drown the world in curses! You will-**_ "

And it wasn't able to continue its rant as a book slammed into its head. Shinji's book.

" ** _What is the meaning of this!?_** " it shouted as the book fell open as its spine hit the ground.

It began glowing a bright purple and then a bright reddish-purple orb bled out of the pages. Without warning, red chains flew out from its center and wrapped themselves around the Avenger. Then, they dragged him into it, slowly at first but moving faster and faster.

" ** _No! Release me!_** " it roared as it tried to claw away from it but to no avail. The chains were now being reeled into the orb at a great pace, the glowing sphere eventually swallowing it whole amidst its cries of enraged protest.

This stunned everyone save for a snickering Matou.

"...Shinji, how... what..." stammered Shirou, unable to believe what just happened.

"Nii-san? Did you... plan all this?" Sakura said hesitantly, a little wary of this incident.

"That isn't him," determined Luvia, narrowing her eyes, "The grimoire has overtaken him."

"Well, she's not wrong," he admitted freely, much to the shock of the Masters.

"When?" pressed on the former.

"After the explosion," the latter explained with a smirk. To further shock, his face and clothes began peeling away, the blackened flakes flying towards the glowing orb. "I offered to seek revenge for him after telling him that he was dying," he told them further, the flakes getting absorbed into the sphere, "He agreed to the deal after I said Caster will die an extremely horrible death. Strangely, he also made me promise not to harm his stepsister. I do wonder why..." As he said that, he took on a thinking pose.

"So, he did care for you after all," Rin muttered with a hint of relief.

"Anyway, thank you for helping me with this fool," he declared with a smile as his face slowly changed, becoming move bird-like as his hair and skin fell off and flew towards the orb, "It would have been very annoying trying to get it to off itself or make stupid mistakes. Very convenient, Saber's sword."

"What are you?" Noel asked, unable to shake the feeling that this was more than just the will of a book.

"Oh... well, I represent someone who wants that idiot out of the way," he said with a sneer as he walked towards the globe, his clothes now replaced with a plain blue robe with an eight-pointed star on the back that had an outline of a flame in the middle of it, "Not to worry, my lord is simply happy enough to just let the world continue turning without anything wanting to destroy humanity."

"Are you a Guardian as well?" asked Bazett.

"One of those? Don't make me laugh," he replied contemptuously as he withdrew his hands into his sleeves, "I am much more than those cleaners. Much, much more." He then shifted his sleeves and glanced at his watch, which somehow survived, "Well, my time here is almost up. Goodbye, you lot."

He stepped on the orb and swirled into it, giving them a wave as he went. Then, book closed and disintegrated into motes of purple light. As if on cue, the sun began to peek over the horizon, faintly lighting up the sky in preparation to rise. The four younger Masters and Noel let out a collective sigh of relief they never knew they had.

" _That was intense, to say the least_ ," she thought to herself but was thrown a loop when she saw herself slowly melting away into azure lights, " _Wait, what is going on_?" Looking around, she saw that Saber was facing a similar fate, dissolving into golden fragments of light.

_When did I_...

"Noel... you... you're a Servant again?" said Rin, faltering over her words as everyone turned to face her.

"I... I guess I am," the remade Servant replied in disbelief.

"So that was what Avenger meant," realized Luvia, "It used the mud to make your body and corrupt you at the same time. Yet, somehow he was never able to get a hold on you and you were just... Incarnated."

"I guess so..." the former replied, mentally thanking Mu for saving her from that fate ten years ago, "I don't suppose one of you could tell Waver that? He was just as puzzled about it as I was."

"We could do that, at least," said Rin as Saber moved in front to stand before her, despite being halfway gone.

"Do you still think I should change my wish?" she asked.

"Yes," the old Archer replied without hesitation. For a moment, both of them stared at each other, eye to eye.

"Unfortunate. I still stand by my decision, even if your reasoning is sound," the Servant of the Sword reaffirmed, her eyes full of resolve, "However, I suppose I should open myself to alternate suggestions should the right one comes along. If the reasons hold merit, I shall consider that too."

"Then, I guess I shall settle with that," Noel said with a sad smile, "Farewell, Saber."

"Farewell, Archer" was the reply before the Servant fully disappeared.

She then turned to the gathered Masters. "Everyone, thank you for having me," she said as she bowed, "I will treasure this as long as I can keep it. And... can someone go to my house and get a letter under my bed. I had drafted something for my superior officer in case something happened to me..."

"Allow me to do it," spoke up Bazett, "Your superior shall get your message."

"Thank you," she replied, still smiling as she finished fading away, "Goodbye... everyone."

* * *

They stood there in silence, as if unable to figure out what to do. At first. Then, Luvia remarked, "I think now would be suitable to leave. It would be bad to be caught up here."

"...Yes. Yes, you're right," Rin muttered as she turned to look over Shirou, "Can you walk?"

"Yeah, I can," he replied as he gingerly got up, "I can move"

She nodded and turned to Sakura, "Alright. Bring us back to Shirou's house."

"Ok," her former sister murmured as she summoned her shadow with a wave of her hand, covering all the Masters.

A few seconds later, they reappeared in the courtyard of his house. Rin and Luvia took it onto themselves to escort Bazett to the front door while Shirou and Sakura took a slow walk back to the kitchen.

"So the War is over," he said after a moment, looking hesitant to speak anything. Then, he clenched his hands and turned to face her, "I... I'm sorry I couldn't save Shinji."

"...It's not your fault, Senpai," she replied after blinking, "There wasn't anything we could do. What happened to him in the end... was out of our control."

"I know. It's just that, I keep thinking that there was something I could have done. I just..." he began to ramble but was halted in his tracks when she suddenly held a finger up to his lips.

"It. Is not. Your. Fault," she repeated slowly with a hint of sternness before going back to her soft-spoken voice as she took down her finger and looked away, "Please... don't beat up yourself for this. If you have to blame anything, blame that thing that was in the book for taking advantage of him." With that, they continued on their way. Eventually, they entered the living room and he moved towards the kitchen.

He suddenly stopped, sighed, and turned around, giving her a smile, "I guess you're right. Thank you, Sakura." And then let off a deep yawn. "I think... all that excitement... is..." he was able to get out before lurching over to the side.

She hastily ran to help him up but he was a bit too heavy for her and so she tumbled down with him. She was able to stop his head from hitting the floor at least. She stared at him for a moment, a blush creeping up her face while watching his rhythmic breathing before slowly moving up to his head. Steadily, she took a seated position and gently moved his head onto her lap. And then, she started stroking his hair. This was the scene Rin and Luvia came back too after seeing off the Irishwoman. The Edelfelt was about to make a scene before the Tohsaka dragged her off to give Sakura some much needed time alone. She did support her former sister, after all. Oblivious to what happened behind her, the sole surviving Matou continued caressing his hair.

" _I need to tell him my feelings_ ," she resolved as her other hand stopped on his chest, " _Then maybe... no, not like that. I can't do that to him. I will tell him, but I won't stand in his way. I will find a way to be by his side. Then, he can keep his promise_..." A lone tear rolled down her cheek as she stopped rubbing his head to clench her fist.

" _I've already lost so much._.. _and gained little_..."

" _I can't lose him too_."


	32. Epilogue

**I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.**

Epilogue: Side/Fate

The closet rustled with the sound of scraping cardboard and paper. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as Sakura finally organized it to her liking.

"Mhmm, that's the last of the clothes," she muttered as she slid the door closed. Pausing to look down in the box that she removed to make space, she blinked. A familiar blue bound book. It was a plain-looking thing with a bit of gold trim around the edges. Her confidant during her earlier years, where she spoke of her loneliness... and then of her joy when she finally worked up the courage to go to the Emiya house. She smiled lightly as she bent down to pick it up

"It seems I found an old friend," she said as she opened it, flipping through the pages, "Maybe... I guess I should. This is quite momentous, after all."

Returning to rummage around in the box, it didn't take long for her to retrieve a pen from the stationery set she packed away with the book. Seating herself on the floor and the open book on her lap, she began.

_Dear diary,_

_It has been a couple of years since I last confided in you. The last time I did, I was... well... I guess there are some things I can't put to paper. Still, something nice did come out of it. It took me another year to have the courage to do it, but I finally gave Shirou my letter! Yes, I could only give it to him after graduation, but at least I did it!_

* * *

Shirou opened the locker and exchanged his indoor hoes for his outdoor ones. As he closed the door, he noticed Sakura out of the corner of his eye.

"Hmm, Sakura?" he muttered in surprise.

"Umm, umm, S-s-senpai, I-I-I have..." she stammered, her cheeks growing rosier by the minute. Suddenly, she grabbed his hand, shoved something in it, and ran off.

He blinked a moment, stunned by what just happened. Slowly, he looked down at his hand. A white envelope with a heart-shaped seal. He blinked again, unable to comprehend what had been handed to him.

" _Did she just... Is this..._ " he wondered as he looked up to the entrance of the building, to where she had run off to.

" _What do I say_?"

* * *

_I was so nervous. When I reached his house later that day, I heard a weird commotion going on in the living room. Then, the most embarrassing thing happened on that same day. Sensei... arrived earlier since I excused myself away to shop for dinner. She was pushing Shirou away while trying to... read my letter. That was... beyond embarrassing... and I rather not put it here... Sorry..._

_After that, Rin was accepted into an overseas institution of higher learning in England. Somehow, she was able to drag Shirou along with her. As much I didn't like it, she had a point in that he needed to learn about his limits and going all the way there for testing was the best way to do it. At least, she promised to make sure he called me ever so often... not too often as to save costs. Still, the wait was worth it. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, after all._

_Fuyuki also received a new representative from the Church. Rin told me to at least try to maintain a cordial relationship with her since I was to... be her replacement. The new priestess was... strange._

* * *

The chime of the doorbell rang through the house.

"Please wait!" called out Sakura as she hurried down the hall. Quickly undoing the lock, she opened the door to find a girl with light grey hair and golden eyes. She wore what reminded her of a nun's habit and a pair of black boots. She also noticed bandages peeking out from under her sleeves.

She must have stared a bit too long as the girl said, "I suppose this is how you treat all guests? Or is it just the Church representative? Or maybe that's just your arrogance of being the Second Owner."

All that stung her to no end. It also caused her to gape a little at the brazen attitude the girl gave out.

"Umm, ah..."

"Was I too harsh? Forgive me, O Lord, for my hasty judgment," the priestess declared as she bowed her head with her hands clasped in prayer.

"Umm, it's fine... please, I apologize for being too slow to greet you," she hurriedly said, feeling a little guilt from the girl's behavior, "The current Second Owner is in England. I am just..."

"A substitute. I understand. I was already briefed on this beforehand," the girl assured her as they met eye to eye, "There is no need to be flustered. I am merely here to politely introduce myself."

"Ah, thank you then. I do hope your stay in Fuyuki is a pleasant one," Sakura said with a smile.

She nodded and turned to leave. Reaching the outer gate, she stopped and asked aloud, "Did he suffer?"

"Eh?"

The Church representative turned around and clarified, "Kirei Kotomine. Did he suffer in death?"

She blinked in surprise, not expecting this level of curiosity. "Umm, it was assumed that he died quickly," she replied hesitantly.

The girl nodded and said before moving on, "I see. Carry on then."

* * *

_Yeah, she was quite weird._

_While Shirou was in England, I busied myself with my studies. After graduating, I was a little lost as what to do. One day, after Fujimura-sensei commented again on how good my food was, I had an idea to run on. I offered to help out in the school kitchen. It was easy since I did have Fujimura-sensei's recommendation and I did enjoy my experience there, helping the kitchen staff prepare lunch for the students. It wasn't the same, though, as cooking for Shirou._

_Later that year, Shirou suddenly came back! He received an invitation to join the institute but he turned it down, feeling he couldn't become a hero of justice if he was tied to them. I was so happy to see him... and yet a bit sad. He wasn't able to find out what he needed at that place, even though he did learn a few things there. On the other side, he was able to get in contact with another acquaintance of Rin, a certain Irish woman who is often involved in dangerous things._

* * *

"Senpai, what is this?"

Shirou looked up from the paper, away from the job listings, and found Sakura holding up a card he got from Bazett. "Oh, I got that from McRemitz. I was thinking of joining her on her missions, should she have any," he explained as he turned back to the papers.

He heard her sigh and then the rustling of her dress as she sat down next to him. "Enforcer missions are dangerous," he heard her say, "Are you sure about this?"

He stopped looking and put down the paper. "I... think so," he said as he turned to her, "At my current state, I doubt I can call myself a hero. I need to improve and get stronger. I'm hoping that by learning from Bazett and the other Enforcers with her, I can do that."

"...Can you promise me... to come back alive?" she asked him after a moment. He could see the hope in her eyes.

He fell silent. He wasn't sure. From what the Irishwoman told him, even the easiest missions have the chance of turning dangerous. Still...

"Yes, I promise, Sakura," he replied with a gentle smile.

She replied with her own and stated, "In that case, I want to join you when you go."

He blinked in surprise.

"...Eh?"

* * *

_You should have seen his face when I said I wanted to follow him! It was so funny! Though honestly, I would probably have the same look if he said something as absurd as that. Yes, I really did say that. One, I needed him to remember that promise. I don't think any of us... those who survived that ordeal... want to see him turn out like that man. Especially me. Two, negotiate time with him. That is, to only go on these dangerous things when Rin was back in Fuyuki. Then, I can follow him. So far, it has worked. I also helped out. Who knew my shadowy quietness made me a good observer._

_Although, on the other hand, this meant he had to fill his time up with a more visible job. Since he had a lot of experience being the Homurahara 'brownie', I suggested being a handyman. Not only could he help people, but he could also practice his more... 'special' skills on the side. It is a win-win..._

"Sakura?"

She blinked in surprise and then looked up into his golden brown orbs. Shirou was looking in, his hand on the open door. His usual smile was absent as he held up an open large brown envelope.

"From Bazett," were the two words he said.

She nodded slowly and said, "Alright. I'll put these away first, Senpai."

* * *

The darkened room was only lit up by a desk lamp. The red curtains made it look as if the light was tinted red. An ancient-looking man sat on his comfortable leather swivel chair, steepling his fingers in silent contemplation. A knock on the door soon roused him from his thoughts.

"Enter."

The door opened and two girls entered. One clad in blue, regal looking clothes and the other in a simple red blouse and black skirt with a matching pair of stockings. They seemed quite nervous as the wizened old magus was quite infamous for taking in apprentices and pretty much crushing their spirits, leaving them as total wrecks.

"If you would please have a seat."

The unexpected politeness was unnerving them, but they did as was told without a word. When nothing actually happened to them upon seating, they allowed themselves to relax just a little. Although, another knock on the door made them quite jumpy.

"Enter."

Into the room stepped a man with long loose hair. He wore a red coat with golden ornamentations on its shoulders. He was calm in appearance, but it instantly soured once he caught sight of the old magus.

"So, you're back. What brings you to the Clock Tower this time, Wizard Marshall?" asked Waver.

"Hello to you too, Professor," said Zelretch as he sat up straighter, "I called you and these two here for some storytelling."

"Excuse me?" the younger man questioned with a frown, "You would call us away from our classes just for this?"

"Yes, please. Have a seat," the Kaleidoscope gestured to yet another chair. After the Lord seated himself he continued, "Yes, storytelling. More specifically, about the Wars the three of you have been through. I felt something odd has happened in Japan, so I decided to drop by unannounced in Fuyuki a month ago."

Carefully noting everyone's interest, the Magician stated, "I have traveled to many worlds and timelines, and the particular energy I felt around Fuyuki... I have only encountered it once. I went through that place in passing, but that malevolent feeling stood out. Never had I ever felt such a thing in my later travels... And such a thing should not have been present during your Grail Wars. So, I want you to tell me what happened... exactly what happened... during the Fourth and Fifth Wars. Everything. Spare no detail. Am I understood?"

* * *

Sakura poured through the letter. Date. Time. Even coming personally to fetch them. The usual. Of course, the letter arrived a few days before Rin was supposed to return for the holidays. Very timely. She was not looking forward to the day when Rin finished her education at the Clock Tower. Shirou would definitely want to increase his participation.

"Have you replied yet?" she asked as she looked to him.

He shook his head and replied, "No. I thought you wanted to look through it first."

"This should be fine to do," she muttered as she looked over it again, "It sounds easy enough."

"From what I read, it should be," he stated as he crossed his arms with a confident look, "Not all missions involve fighting. She did say she would put off the more dangerous ones for now."

"I know... " she trailed off as she gazed out of the door into the courtyard.

"Sakura, don't worry," he assured her, "We should be able to finish this and still have enough time to make it back to spend some time with Tohsaka."

"I don't want to lose anyone else," she muttered aloud, not hearing his reply, "I don't want to lose you."

This stunned Shirou a little. Slowly, his arm reached out to her and touched her hand. This brought her out of her haunting inattention. "We should prepare for dinner. If we leave now, we can still reach the shops."

Then, he got up and offered his hand to her with a smile. The shocked look on her face evaporated and was replaced with a rosy complexion as she accepted his hand and got to her feet. She replied with a smile of her own as they left the room together, hand in hand.

* * *

Epilogue: Side/Chaos

The cavernous room was bathed in a reddish-purple light, colored so by nine large braziers scattered around its nine-sided interior. Suddenly, motes of light began gathering upon itself in the center of the room, slowly building up to be an open book. An eight-pointed star appeared above it and out swirled the fake Shinji. As he stepped off the book, his body and visage began morphing...twisting into something new. His limbs became more gangly, his belly more pronounced, his head enlarged and his skin became rosier. He grew a wider jaw, his teeth becoming more numerous and eyes enlarged, becoming wholly yellow in color. Behind him, the book began spitting out black mud, the viscous liquid running over until Avenger, Angra Mainyu itself was expelled from its depths. It looked around, confused by the different scenery, before eventually looking to where it was noisiest. It froze as it gazed upward.

A great gigantic being was floating near one of the walls. Great horns rose up from the top, its ends sparking with mystical fires. Its skin was covered in numerous faces, all of them speaking at the same time. The din of whispers sent a disturbing chill down Angra Mainyu's body, slowly becoming unbearable. As the cacophony rose, Avenger fell to its knees and gripped its head in agony, desperately wanting the voices to stop. Before it cried out in pain, however, a voice spoke above all the others.

" **So... you are here, Angra Mainyu. Welcome to my domain.** "

The voices no longer directed at it, the former Servant rose to its feet, finally able to place a most unsettling face to Sindri's mysterious benefactor.

"Why am I here, Lord of Change?" it asked warily with a furious tone, "Why did you take me away? Why did your pawn snatch away my victory?"

With a rather malicious smile, the Architect of Fate replied with a sneer, " **That requires a story. You are familiar with long stories. You seem to like telling them.** "

Without waiting for a reply, the Great Conspirator explained, " **I had no inkling how that human intruded, though it was but a fraction of a second. I was aware of him and him aware of me. This drew my curiosity as his origin was not of this universe. So, I sent a lesser being to follow his trail, eventually leading to Terra. Of all places, Terra. In ancient times, no less, where its space travel was still in its infancy and the Warp an unknown quantity. Not a single alien race in that system. It was... interesting. Even more intriguing were the will of the planets and will of humanity. Ever conflicting. Ever clashing. Ever in chaos. Eternally in a state of change. How could I not want to maintain such a state?** "

With a bony, withered finger, the Changer of Ways pointed at it and continued, " **Yet, you wish to destroy humanity. To destroy such a pleasing state. How can I not want to remove you from it? I know full well that eventually, you will be defeated, but why not do it personally?** " And then, the cacophony of voices was once more directed at it, " **Why else would I send my pawn to you? Why else would I offer you power?** " And then, as the singular voice reigned over all, " **Sindri once told the participants of your paltry War that 'Change requires sacrifice'. And now, to keep the constant flux of change, I, require yours.** "

Sensing something suddenly becoming amiss, Angra Mainyu lashed out with a whip of black mud but... it splashed against some barrier right in front of it. It reached out and to its horror, it was encased within an invisible container. It threw itself with all its might and resorted to bashing against the barrier with great roars, but to no avail. Its singular thought was to break out, unaware that all sound coming from the Chaos God had ceased to reach him.

* * *

" **What do you say, Angra Mainyu?** " asked the Weaver of Destiny with a vindictive smile, " **But of course, you can't hear me now, can you?** "

With a wave of a hand, the plate floated up to his face in the center of his chest, " **Perhaps, a more pleasing vessel for you.** "

With another wave, the plate changed into a bowl. Then, to a cup. And then, to a goblet. Finally, it became chalice. Looking remarkably similar to the Grail.

With a great laugh, " **Much more familiar for you, is it not, Angra Mainyu? This time, instead of decades, you will remain in it... forever.** "

A flick of his wrist later, he tossed it away, flung far into the depths of the Immaterium to where only he knows. Shifting his attention to the fake Shinji, it said, " **Well done. You have served me well. I shall name you Arrhabonem, for you will use and be used. As your usefulness grows, so shall you. Now leave. Be grateful that you have a chance of gazing upon me for once in your life in the Immaterium.** "

"Yes, my Lord!" it screeched as it fell to its knees and groveled before disappearing in a burst of hellfire.

As he settled back into his levitating pose, the numerous faces on his body once again going back to their business, the main face grinned and muttered, " **Once more, it comes just as planned.** "


End file.
